Sign of the Past
by sable1456
Summary: The sequel of Spartan-029's Age of Heroes. Ten years after defeating Malefor and Liun, guardians live their normal lives in Warfang, until mysterious group of wyverns strike. What do they want? And what is the sign of the past that young dragons carry?
1. Invasion

Chapter 1. "Invasion"

Ten years have passed since the final defeating of Malefor and Liun. There was held a meeting in the Dragon City of Warfang. At one of the towers, in a big room with completely shaded windows and an extinguished fireplace there were four young dragons.  
"Everybody knows our plan?" asked a young male."Remember that now we can count only on ourselves. If something goes wrong there will be nobody to help us and fix our mistake."  
"Of course we know that, sweety," said two young dragonesses at this same moment and giggled.  
"I've been telling you this all the time! Stop calling me like that!" Dragon started shouting, sparkles appeared between his teeth.  
"Quit this. We don't have time for this," interrupted firmly another male voice. "If you spend all this time annoying him, you won't be at your positions at the right moment. Now, you'll..."  
"Don't forget, that's me, who directs the whole action," interrupted him a male called earlier 'sweety'. "Girls, I think it's time to invite others here. And you take care of our target." The last sentence was addressed to a male dragon.  
"Understood," the male nodded. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, two mysterious dragons were hiding in the forest inside Warfang. They were watching the city carefully and trying to find out how to sneak deeper into the city.  
"Are you ready for this, Brute?" Asked one of them while he was putting his equipment on.  
"Yeah, I think so." The one called Brute wore a big, metal gauntlet on his right arm. "You know, I'm glad that we have all this stuff, brother, because I don't think we could do our mission without it. You remember, what happened when that stupid wyvern tried to kidnap Spyro?" Brute whispered.  
"That action was thoughtless. You cannot break into Warfang and fly away with a purple dragon just like that."  
"Crue, somebody is coming!" Brute pointed at a small shape moving slowly along the street, quite close to them.  
"It's only Spyro's daughter- Zealous." The dragon called Crue replied. Brute sighed with relief. "Maybe, let's catch her? That would be a good start!" Brute's brother was already excited.  
"No, if she shouts once, all the city will know where we are. We wouldn't even reach the city walls." Crue glared at his brother with disappointment.  
"You know, I'm kind of proud that we'll make first Venganza's move." He said after a few seconds of silence.  
"Yeah, me too. Just don't get killed, right?" Brute suggested. Crue smiled in reply.  
"I'm Noveno, I can't die so easily. Anyway, now we are splitting up, bro. I will take the main targets."  
"Alright, diversion is mine. Crue? Don't you think that kidnapping of those two females from him will make that dragon really angry? Especially, if he's kind of dragon, who really cares about his family. He wouldn't stand that loss."  
"Of course, he wouldn't. I'm sure that I'd prefer a suicide rather than being caught by him." Crue said and threw two explosives to his brother. "Those are special bombs for diversion from Primero, they might prove useful."  
"Thanks." Brute caught them and hid them in the bags at his sides. "Good luck!" He answered before disappearing in a dense forest.

"Where are they all gone?" confused Zealous asked herself. It was middle of the summer and the sun was beautifully shining. But the little purple dragoness wasn't enjoying that day, because she couldn't find any of her equals in the whole of Warfang. While she was walking sadly next to the forest, she heard something like talking. She looked around, but after a moment she gave up.  
"If they want to hide, I can't make them stop." Zealous sighed and continued her walk. Then something cold tweaked her hind leg and she tried to thwack the intruder in the face with her tail. She was so good at doing it already that she wouldn't even hurt her friend and he had been beaten in the face so many times, that he easily dodged it. Then the dragoness turned around and slapped his cheek.  
"Ouch! That hurts! Why... " Torch shouted, while he was keeping his paw on his burning from pain cheek.  
"I told you so many times that I hate it." She replied and started walking away.  
"Wait!" Torch called her, while chasing the dragoness. "I'm sorry for that." He apologized when he finally caught her.  
"Why isn't there anybody today?! Where have you been since the morning and why didn't you take me there?! Why everybody suddenly disappears when I have my...my..." Zealous was shouting and tears started to appear in her eyes, when a young fire breather interrupted her with a gentle voice.  
"Don't cry, please. I know that we saddened you, but I have a surprise for you." He was smiling mysteriously.  
"What is this?" Zealous asked him really interested. Her sadness just disappeared and she was smiling to her friend.  
"It wouldn't be a surprise, if I told you, right? Come on." The purple dragoness followed him to one of the towers. They were going higher and higher and they were going to get into a room where there was meeting fifteen minutes before. Then draggones stopped the fire breather.  
"Something wrong?" He asked surprised.  
"If this is another place where you want to spar with me, I will be angry at you." She threatened with voice characteristic for youngsters in such a situation.  
"Of course it's not! I'm not gonna spar with you in your parents' room!" Then she noticed where she was. But still, she had no idea, what was the point of coming there.  
"Shall we get in?" Torch asked her. When she nodded, he opened the door and said "ladies first." She smiled at him and went inside the dark room and after the young dragon got in too, he closed the door. Then light enveloped the room when the young dragons took off black curtains from the windows and let the sun shine inside the room.  
"Happy birthday!" Everybody shouted. Zealous stood there aghast and unable to say a word. She was so happy, when she understood, they hadn't forgotten about her fifth birthday. They all burst out with laughter, seeing, that the dragoness didn't know what to do. She just stared at the guests. There was everyone: Her parents, Sparx, Ember, Flame, Tremor, Candice, Stella and Infernus. Torch, Sierra, Zap, and Tundra surrounded the purple dragoness and started giving her compliments.

Brute was installing the second incendiary bomb when he heard singing. "Why are they so loud? I almost detonated it because of them!" He hissed with annoyance. "I need to hurry up." He finished arming the bomb and hid it well so no one would see it and the explosion wouldn't be weakened. "Perfect." He smiled at himself when he put in a fuse."After burning this fuse I have five minutes before both explosions." He said to himself. "If I meet our two beautiful targets, Crue will be unnecessary, but I will have much more fun catching them." He smiled devilishly and started running back at the position and laying fuse behind him. His armor was slowing him a little, as he noticed with annoyance. "That metal gloves are quite heavy, but I must use them, if I want to have a chance in the fight with guardians." He noticed bitterly.

"I'm so glad that you've organized this party!" Zealous said joyfully.  
"You must thank Zappy." Sierra giggled, when Zap looked at her annoyed and rolled her eyes.  
"Why do you call me Zappy?" The lightning dragon asked her angrily.  
"Because I like you. And this name is so sweet." This time both, Sierra and Tundra giggled.  
"But I don't like it!"  
"Our daddy calls mom Candy, not Candice. Can't we call you Zappy, not Zap?" Tundra asked him with the sweetest eyes she could do.  
"Yes, please..." Sierra echoed.  
"So what are we going to do?" Torch interrupted with growing impatience.  
"I have an idea." Sierra grinned and kissed Zap on the cheek."Tag!"She shouted, jumped away from him and all the young dragons started running away from the tagged one. When Tremor saw, they were going to fly away through a window he started saying:  
"Don't jump through the windo..." He stood silent when he saw that all the hatchlings ignored him.  
"They learnt flying not much time ago and they think they can do anything." The earth guardian muttered with note of disbelief.  
"They learnt it about month ago and they are making progress really fast. All of them are good flyers. And finally you know, how annoying your stubbornness is." Stella said and everybody started laughing.  
"We will have to teach them really a lot of things, Tremor." Candice stated.  
"Indeed, we will." Cynder admitted. "First thing. Your daughters must stop kissing Zap." As the black dragoness started enumerating, all the dragons laughed again.  
"Yeah. Poor Zappy." Infernus provoked another wave of laughter.  
"Anyway, the second thing...

"You will never catch me!" Torch was flying between trees and attempted to lose the enemy. He looked at the lightning dragon and got surprised, when he saw his rival three feet behind him. Right when he was almost tagged he dived, made a half-loop which made him fly in the opposite direction and fly under the shocked Zap. The tagged dragon did exactly this same after several seconds. Torch turned around again and his eyes grew wide, as he saw the lightning dragon was gone. He looked for him on the left, right, behind and above him and when he looked down he saw a yellow dragon grinning devilishly. Zap flew up and touched him with the tip of his wing.  
"Tag! You're it!"  
"Wait Zap! Let's make a break, I'm tired!"  
"Sure." Both dragons landed on the ground. They had no idea they were being observed.  
"Where are the girls?" Torch wondered.  
"When you flew to the forest, they ran to the eastern side of the city, they're somewhere near our parents."  
"How far are we from them?"  
"I think one or two miles."  
During their conversation Crue was watching two young dragons with growing excitement."They are males. We don't need them. Judgment: death." He prepared his gauntlet quickly. It was big and metal and had three cylindrical bulges along the front limb, which used to be empty inside. Now he started putting needles into them . They were about five centimeters long, but shot, were really fast, well sharpened and had terrific penetration power. He reloaded the glove and aimed at the red dragon. The idea of killing two dragons made him so excited, that he couldn't aim at first, because his hand was shaking. Zap, as a lightning dragon, felt someone's presence. And he had really bad feelings about that. He didn't expect anyone to be here. He looked around carefully to notice a reflex of light from a stranger's gauntlet.  
"Torch!" Crue pulled the trigger, when Zap jumped to Torch pulling him out from the needles' path. One of them flew between their heads and two others flew on another side of the yellow dragon's head.  
"What is that?" Torch asked when he saw two little holes in the oak and the third one in the spruce behind them.  
"Just run!" Both dragons ran away and tried to hide from the enemy in a forest. Crue quickly reloaded his gauntlet, cursing with disappointment. The hunting began.

Meanwhile Sierra, Tundra and Zealous were being watched by another intruder."Don't fail, don't fail." Brute was speaking to himself. "If I catch or kill those hatchlings, the mission will be almost finished. Alright, now it's my chance." He burned fuses from the bombs and got to the girls as close as he could without being noticed.  
"Hello." He said to the hatchling without showing himself.  
"Who are you?" asked Zealous.  
"I'm a dragon, my name is Brute and I'm from the East." He lied to the hatchlings and hoped they would believe him.  
"It's nice to meet you Brute. This is my sister Tundra and a friend Zealous."  
"Hi. Are you a purple dragoness? I've heard a lot about you."  
"Yes." Zealous nodded.  
"And who are you girls?" the stranger asked.  
"We are twin daughters of the guardians of earth and ice."  
Brute's eyes grew wide as he knew that he saw his kidnap or kill target, but every intruder had to die. That made him really sad, because even if he was five times older than her, he felt she was so beautiful, majestic...  
"How old are you?" Tundra interrupted his reflection.  
"I'm seven, but my voice sounds like I was adult because of my speech defect." It was bluff, but he knew, how naive all youngsters were.  
"Oh...I'm sorry. Show yourself now!"  
"No...I'm...shy. Can I play with you?" Brute quickly changed the subject of the conversation  
"Do You know what we are playing?" Sierra asked.  
"Yes."  
"But Zap was tagged and he split up trying to get Torch." Zealous said with disappointed.  
"Where did they go?"  
"They are in the southern forest, probably far away from us"  
"They must have met Crue." Brute said to himself. "They are surely dead right now. My brother gets excited easily, but he never misses."  
"Maybe, we shouldn't wait for them. I will try to tag you." Suggested the male.  
"Do you want to?" all three girls asked him simultaneously.  
"Yes, why not?"  
"Let's start then."  
Then Brute jumped out of his hide with great roar. He showed up his talons which were getting closer to the girls' faces. Then Zealous, Tundra and Sierra understood what was really going on. Brute wasn't seven years old but at the age of their parents. He wasn't a young and shy dragon, but a disgusting and horrific one, whose face expression was showing some sick euphoria. And the most important for that moment: he didn't want to play with them but pierce and smash their heads with his giant, black talons.  
"Aaa!" All the three girls started screaming the loudest they could so that whole city could hear them, but the fear made them motionless. And they felt the cold of death which was coming for them and could prevent it.


	2. The beginning and the end

Chapter 2. "The beginning and the end"

When youngsters were in deadly danger, the dragons, still unaware, were eating, drinking, conversing, telling jokes and reminiscing about those, who died at war.  
"I miss them." Said Cynder sadly. "So many of great dragons died: Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, Flame's grandfather, Gaia..."  
At the sound of the last name Tremor suddenly felt chill in his whole body. When he was thinking about his twin sister, his eyes became wet. "But their souls are still with us." He forced a smile. "And as Cyril had said, now it's our time to shine."  
"I sometimes still have this feeling, that we aren't ready." Stella said.  
"Yeah, we got this duty so early, so suddenly. Nobody could even imagine, that elders would be gone when we were young. Still, I believe we're doing really well." Candice looked worried at Tremor, who saddened after hearing his sister's name.  
"He still can't accept, that she's gone. I shouldn't be shocked, she was his only family before he met me, but he has to deal with it someday, if he wants to be happy." She said to herself sadly. Then everybody's eyes grew wide, as they heard bloodcurdling scream of three little dragonesses.  
"Stella!" Infernus shouted to his mate, who was already standing before the window.  
"I know!" The young guardian flew to the source of the scream the fastest she could. "I know I can get there in a blink of eye, but if something attacked them..."

Zealous, Tundra and Sierra closed their eyes, waiting for death, sure that nobody would save them. Just a second more and they all would be dead. But just as Brute was going to make a triple kill with a simple slash, he noticed Stella appearing on his right. She attacked strongly with the tailblade. The enemy shielded his head with his gauntlet and the blow threw him away for a several meters. He fell hardly on the ground, stood up quickly and jumped back increasing the distance. He watched her carefully; he was seriously pissed off.  
"Stay close to me, now!" Stella looked at three hatchlings. "Are you alright?"  
"Y...Yeah" They muttered. All the three hatchlings nodded. Stella glared at the intruder. He was a dragon, but a very strange one. His scales had a different shape, his head was completely different, somehow... feral, a little wyvern-like. His eyes had green, unnatural in her opinion color.  
"How dare you! How dare you interfere with my fight! You dragons are so blinded with pride! Even when a wyvern almost wins a fight you have to stop him, because you all just cannot accept the loss! You think, that because you have more intelligence and your breath attacks, you are better than any another race. Wolves, apes, wyverns..." Hatred in the lizard's eyes was growing with every passing second.  
"Shut up!" Stella interrupted. "You call this fight? You tried to slaughter three young, innocent and unprotected dragonesses, who doesn't even know why your race hates us so much!" Stella shouted at enemy wildly.  
"They are not innocent! When they will grow up, they will soak their paws in the blood of my brothers!" Brute looked like he was mad. His face was showing only one feeling, hatred. His paws were shaking anxiously and tailblade was ready to attack. Right then the rest of the dragons landed next to Stella.  
"What are you? From your behavior and speech, I can see, you're not a dragon." Stella said.  
"Of course not! I'm a mutant wyvern, a hybrid. I have advantages of both races, yours and mine." All the guardians watched each other with surprise. "It's so pathetic! Do you really need eight probably most powerful dragons to handle one wyvern with increased intelligence?" Brute started laughing devilishly. "By the way, where are Zap and Torch?" Stella, Infernus, Flames and Ember's eyes grew wide as the intruder started grinning. "They are in the southern forest. You should hurry up, if you want to see them alive, because my brother is already there." Right when four dragons wanted to fly to Torch and Zap, there were two giant explosions.  
"Oh...The forest is burning. It's not a weak fire, could reach the buildings. Shouldn't someone extinguish it?" The wyvern started laughing. In his laugh, there was something that gave all dragons creeps. As if he had whole the situation under control and the dragons were only pawns in his game.  
"Candice, Infernus, take Zealous, Sierra and Tundra from here. Spyro, you take care of the northern fire, moles about western. Ember, Flame and Stella- go for Torch and Zap. I and Cynder will kill that psychopath." Tremor grinned ominously, so impatient to deal with him.  
"All right!" All the dragons agreed and split up. The ice dragoness took her daughters in paws and Infernus did this same with Zealous.  
"You think I'm going to let you fly away?!" Brute aimed at Candice and twins, who already turned their backs on the enemy. He pulled a trigger and three small needles flew towards them, but suddenly, they were stopped by a pillar of earth. The wyvern watched his enemies to see the black dragoness watching him hatefully.  
"Your opponents are we, wyvern!" Cynder shouted and blew the intruder in the face with powerful wind. He tried to dodge it, but it was too fast. He fell on the ground, but stood up avoiding an earth bullet. He quickly reloaded his gauntlet, tasted blood covering his lips and grinned.  
"My name is Brute, Sexto Vengantimo. You'd better remember it, because it's the last name you'll ever hear." He grinned devilishly showing his teeth. "And now, let the battle begin, dragons!"

Meanwhile, two green eyes were watching carefully the situation in Warfang. He paid some attention to the fighting Brute, Cynder and Tremor, but his eyes quickly started following Candice with hatchlings. The stranger heard beating of Spyro's wings above him. He knew, he had to be patient, not to rush, because every mistake could cost him life.

"We lost him or he stopped being so excited." Zap sighed with relief.  
"What was that thing?" Torch asked friend.  
"Why would any dragon attack us? Maybe it was something else? Some drake..." Zap tried to figure this out, but he was in a dead end of a labyrinth of ideas.  
"All I care about, is that he tried to kill us. What were those..." The fire breather swallowed hard. Then some steps interrupted their discussion. As they saw Crue, they started running away.  
"Come over here...I promise, I won't hurt you!" The intruder said and started laughing. Three other needles almost killed Torch.  
"In your dreams!" While escaping, both dragons used their breath attacks to hit the enemy, but Crue easily dodged them. It was very hard move as for such a youngster, they barely managed to perform it and keep escaping.  
"Alright, Let's finish it!" He smiled devilishly.  
"Bring it!" Torch shouted. Then Crue, who was standing fifty meters from hatchlings, put another weapon to the gauntlet. He slowly aimed. "I've got you!" He shot special giant white spikes which hitched a lightning dragon's left wing to a big oak tree. The young one screamed in agony. Torch saw what had happened and ran to his friend. Crue stopped for a while to enjoy this moment.  
"I'll take those out!"  
"You can't! It's stuck!" Then Zap saw the intruder, who was just waiting and wondering, what they would do. "Save yourselves! I will buy you some time!"  
"No! I won't leave you!"  
"You can't do anything! Save your life!" The fire breather looked at his friend and felt that his eyes became wet. He knew that Zap was to die and he couldn't do anything.  
"Sorry Torch. It happened. Run."  
"Sorry Zap." He muttered disappearing in a dense forest. He was running away as fast as he could, hoping he'd make it in time to save the city. Then, he stopped and turned around. "What am I doing? I'm leaving my friend to die. What would my dad do now? Would he run away? Would he be such a coward? He grew up in much harder times! He never gave up anything and anybody! If he had a problem like this he would... He would... He would fight!" Torch shouted the last sentence, turned back and flew to the lightning dragon. As he appeared next to Zap, he saw Crue sitting on the ground and reloading his gauntlet slowly.  
"What are you doing?" Zap couldn't believe how reckless decision his friend made.  
"I will fight!"  
"You have no chance! He will kill you!"  
"There's always a chance!"  
"Will you sacrifice your life for nothing?"  
"I will buy you some time, so you can free yourself!"  
"There's no way!"  
"So I will kill him!"  
"Torch, just run!" Zap was shouting.  
"Enough of running." In Torch's eyes appeared fire. "Come on, intruder." Crue smiled and stood right in front of the youngster.  
"You know, the pride of dragons never ceases to surprise me." The wyvern noticed.  
"One of us will die here." The youngster hissed. Crue burst out with silent, ironic laugh.  
"Indeed." He couldn't say it any better.

Three dragons were flying as fast as they could. Under them there was a big forest, in which they could easily miss Zap and Torch, but Ember, Flame and Stella knew where they were. Stella could easily sense their and hunter's excitement.  
"I hope they will be fine." Ember looked far away to search any battle signs."Do you know where they are, Stella?"  
"Yeah, I told you, both of them are so stressed that I can feel them."  
"How much time do we need?"  
"About two minutes. They've just stopped. I think, they've lost him." Stella smiled slightly. Both Ember and Flame sighed with relief.  
"Thanks ancestors." Ember said.  
"We still need to hurry. That wyvern is still somewhere there." Flame said and saw Stella got suddenly worried. "What's wrong?" He asked. He didn't like that sight. He knew it couldn't mean anything good.  
"I can feel them clearer than before, they are..." A scream of agony interrupted her sentence. "Zap..." Stella whispered silently. A sudden shriek paralyzed her for a second, then she started beating wings even faster. Her heart skipped a beat. Oh, why couldn't she just be already there? Both fire breathers started flying faster and hoping that they'd make it in time.

A young fire breather was standing opposite Crue, just several meters from the wyvern. "What's that feeling?" Torch asked himself in mind. All his limbs were shaking, he was barely able to raise his eyes at that intruder. He never stood in front of anyone like that. Anyone that would try to kill him. He didn't hurry with starting the fight. The only strategy he had was to hope that his parents will make it in time.  
"What do you think of my art?" The intruder asked silently. With a trained move he put another three needles to his gauntlet. "Though I have no element..." He shot one of the needles which scratched the fire breather's right cheek. "...I have power to kill..." Another needle scratched the youngster's second cheek. "...even if between me and the target there are thousands of meters." Crue aimed between the dragon's eyes. "Isn't that beautiful?" He asked rhetorically. The last needle left the gauntlet. Torch leaned his head sideways and the silver bullet flew right next to his head. He started running away to hid in the trees. "Tch. Still able to move? Not paralyzed by fear?" The wyvern snorted silently. Three new needles were already ready to be shot, only waiting for their target to appear. Crue aimed quickly and pressed the trigger. Torch, hearing characteristic, loud crackle of metal, leaned down. Though he was behind a tree, all the three bullets went through it right above his head. "At the distance, from which you can't even notice me..." Crue reloaded again. "...I can pierce your head with cold steel in seconds." Another shot, this time, right in front of the youngster. "Tell me, isn't this art?" Torch knew that he wouldn't survive long hiding in the trees. He decided he had to get to the stranger and attack him with his talons. The fire breather instantly disappeared between the trees. Crue smiled. He loved hunting. "Where are you?" No response. "Show up or I'll kill your friend..." No one else would notice this soft movement of bush, but Crue trained this ability for years. He shot three needles at the source of the noise and heard a silent groan. "The right thigh." He stated. Though he couldn't see the fire breather, he could imagine his position. His breath, slight movements, all that was exposing the youngster. Then, he heard steps. The fire breather was running to the trees, from which he would be close to the intruder. Crue already aimed and was ready to shoot. "Die." Then, a blinding stream of electricity appeared in front of him. "What the..." He cursed, closing his eyes and involuntarily pressing the trigger. Three needles flew in the air far above the young fire breather. Torch jumped from behind tree. Zap's lightning shot right in front of intruder's face gave him priceless seconds. That was enough to get to Crue. Only thing he had to do now was making one good blow. Youngster was about to get him. Then, he felt sharp pain in front paws, as needles pierced them, and fell he on the ground, hit with wyvern's clenched fist. He saw Crue smiling devilishly.  
"Nice try." The intruder admitted, while reloading. "But far too slow." He shot again, this time at chest, but fire breather rolled away. Torch stood up and was about to jump away again, but he couldn't. Instantaneously, he lost control of his body.  
"What the..." He saw small needle at his shoulder, it was covered in green liquid.  
"What a loss." Crue sighed deeply. "Only poisoned needle used for such a pathetic weakling. And I missed your heart after all..." He shook his head with disappointment. His art still needed an improvement, it appeared. "But, since you're already paralyzed, you lost, dragon." Crue's heart started beating faster, as he glared at the youngster staying right in front of him. The youngster's eyes were filled with fear. Such beautiful fear. And it was going to be his very first dragon he was going to kill with his art. At that moment, he knew, he had surpassed the dragons. He had surpassed his brothers. He could kill anyone he wanted. And that young fire breather was going to be his first prey. He aimed right between the youngster's eyes.  
"Adiós, dragón." The silent whisper echoed through the air. The death sentence.


	3. The third

Chapter 3. "The third"

"Sierra, Tundra, Zealous, you stay here and I'll go to others, they may need our help." Candice told three hatchlings, when they were already in their house.  
"But mommy..." Sierra wanted to protest.  
"No. It's dangerous for you to leave." Candice interrupted firmly. It wasn't a voice of person that youngsters could argue with.  
"OK." Sierra and Tundra nodded sadly.  
"And remember, do not leave this room. We don't know, if there are any other wyverns." The ice guardian emphasized.  
"What about Torch and Zap? That horrific man said that they may be...be..." Zealous and twins were almost crying and Infernus decided to help Candice in tries to soothe them.  
"Don't even say that word. Zap is a brave dragon, girls. I'm sure he will protect Torch from any danger." The fire breather smiled at the hatchlings and suggested Candice to go already; they had to help others.  
"Now we're leaving, so remember to stay in this room." The ice guardian said to the hatchlings once more and followed the fire breather. The door closed behind Candice. The fire dragon started speaking, as Candice caught up with him.  
"We should hurry up before..." Suddenly both dragons heard Zap's scream. Infernus was so shocked, he couldn't move for a second.  
"I will help with the fire. Fly to your son. And remember what you've just said: he will be alright." Candice said trying to smile. It didn't look really good.  
"I hope so." Infernus immediately lost hope in his words. He flew through the window right to his son the fastest he could.

"My brothers are so stupid. Crue is fighting three adult dragons and Brute is fighting two others. The bombs should have been detonated earlier, much earlier. I told them to do everything like I said, but they riposted: The fact, that you're the most experienced, doesn't mean you are the smartest, Atroz. Idiots." The third wyvern, hidden in trees, looked at Candice and Infernus. Both of them were flying out of the castle really fast. "It's good that Brute at least met the targets, so I know where to find them. But he intended to kill, without even trying to catch? Moron." The third wyvern had light armor. He was a spy, who sneaked into Warfang without any problem. He was getting closer and closer to Sierra and Tundra's room. "I hope Brute will survive that fight. Fighting the guardian and Cynder may be too much for him." He stayed right in front of the door to the room of the hatchlings. He tried to overhear the dragonesses, but there was silence. "Not good, they're gone. I thought they would listen to that dragoness. They are so stubborn..."

Right above the wyvern's head flew an earth bullet. "That was close." Brute whispered. Then, Cynder appeared from the shadows before him. "How did she..." He stopped deadly black talons several inches from his throat. He heard hateful hiss and didn't have to see her face to imagine her expression. He heard the beating of wings above him and with a corner of his eye saw the earth guardian diving at him. The wyvern smiled and put his second, free, arm to a small bag at his side. He jumped away from the dragoness's straightening arm. His clenched until then fist opened. A black orb with a burning fuse covered with a stream of sparkles appeared from his paw. Cynder's eyes grew wide, as she understood the situation.  
"Tremor!" The earth guardian stopped in the air just in time, the black dragoness tried to jump away, but too late. The bomb exploded and a shockwave threw away all the three of them, but she, as the closest one took the worst blow. She groaned, as she crushed at a tree several meters behind her. Suddenly, her vision blurred and all she heard was a high, annoying squeak in her head. In front of her, like through some mist, she could see already standing wyvern, who threw another bomb at her. Cynder was going to jump away, when Tremor landed in front of her and bounced the black ball away with his tail.  
"Cynder?" He asked with worries in his voice.  
"I'm fine. I guess." She finally regained a clear vision.  
"I can deal with him, if you're..." Tremor suggested. The dragoness stood up right away.  
"Dreams. He's mine too."  
"Come on then, dragons." Brute, standing about ten meters away from them, was waiting for dragons. Normally, he would try to attack again, but he wanted to know if Cynder would keep up fighting. He smiled, seeing her stand up and threw two bombs at the dragons, but again, Tremor bounced them away. The black dragoness was already flying to the intruder. Brute jumped back avoiding a stone pillar and bounced from a tree to fly to Cynder. The dragoness spat with poison, but the wyvern beat with his wings and flew above it. He threw a bomb at the dragoness, but then, Tremor shot it back to the wyvern with an earth bullet. Luckily for the intruder, this bomb was much smaller than the previous ones, so it only slammed him into ground, not burning him seriously. But still, the fight was over, as it seemed. Brute was lying on the ground and groaning painfully. Tremor felt almost pity, as he saw, how earnestly the wyvern was trying to get up. The earth guardian stood before him. He was about to say something, when the wyvern jumped to him, intending to slash the dragon's throat. Lacking a better solution, the dragon shielded himself with a wing, knowing, that it was going to hurt. The wyvern's paw was about to break it, when Cynder appeared next to the guardian and blocked the intruder's blow. Tremor shot an earth bullet, which was blocked by metal gauntlet, the wyvern groaned painfully. Then, he jumped between the dragons. He swung his tail at Cynder's head, but the dragoness leaned down and blocked his tail with hers, before he could do anything to her. Brute increased the distance and the dragons heard a noise of a burning fuse between them. The dragons jumped away just in time to get out from the bombs range.  
"When will he be out of those bombs?" Cynder muttered with annoyance.  
"Not soon." Tremor stated. Brute had used about half of his bag and he had two of them.  
"It doesn't change a thing, since he won't even manage to use them." An idea came to Cynder's head.  
"Have a plan?" Tremor asked. Cynder nodded.  
"Attack when he stops." She whispered. Then, the dragoness turned to Brute. "Do you fear me?" Tremor smiled. That was going to be a short fight from this point. The wyvern, unaware, what was going to happen, burst out with silent laughter.  
"You? Why should I fear someone like..." He interrupted in half a sentence, as a frightening shriek reached his ears. He felt that she put ice in his veins, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't make even a slightest move, just shook in fear. "What...How..." Then, Tremor appeared right in front of him. He was about to pierce him with deadly talons, but Brute forced his paralyzed body to lean from the blow. The earth guardian, seeing, he was going to miss, didn't kill the intruder instantly, but hit him with his elbow sending him to the ground two meters farther. Brute spat two of his teeth on the ground. Though it hurt, this blow brought him back from overwhelming fear. Though he still couldn't face Cynder, he could at least run away. He stood up quickly and threw a bomb with shaking paws, but failed to burn its fuse. He cursed and started running away. He noticed, that never before had he been flying this fast.  
"We can't let him escape!" Cynder shouted.  
"I know, I know!" Tremor shot several earth bullets at the intruder, but the wyvern noticed and avoided them in the last second. He was trying to lose dragons beating around in trees, but though Tremor wasn't a good flyer, he could keep up and Cynder slowly, but inevitably was getting closer to him with every second. He cursed silently and took two bombs from the bag. Those were different, very small and dark purple, short-fused. He burnt them and threw onto the ground. Before the dragons a dark purple cloud appeared. Due to lack of a better way and time, they took a deep breath and flew through it. They regretted their decision, as they fell onto the ground and started coughing intensively. Whatever that was, it made running, to say nothing of flying, impossible. They couldn't continue the pursuit.  
"What was..." Tremor coughed hardly. He hadn't been coughing like that since ever."...that?" He asked.  
"No idea." Cynder wasn't in a much better state. "But in this state, we can't catch him."  
"Yeah, I know. He's gone now." Several minutes later, as the intensive cough stopped, Tremor suggested they should go back to city. There still could be intruders.  
"You know, it's the first time I've seen your power of fear," said Tremor, as they were halfway through.  
"Well, I don't use it often."  
"But you should. If you can paralyze the enemy using only sound, I don't know why you shouldn't use it."  
"The only element I have inherited is the wind." She replied. "Fear, poison and shadow were given to me by Dark Master. I don't use it when there's no need."  
"So, why did you use it now?" He asked. "This time, you used all of them."  
"Anger overwhelmed me, I think. When I thought that this intruder tried to kill Zealous..." Cynder explained with ashamed voice.  
"I understand." Tremor also didn't try to stop himself, so if he would have powers like Cynder, he would most likely use them all. "But though your powers have such evil genesis, you should use them. Even the darkest power, used in a right way, is good. Flame is a good example of that."  
"Thanks." Cynder smiled. The earth guardian was right. "That Brute was an odd wyvern, don't you think?"  
"Yeah, I would rather say, he looked more like a dragon. I've seen a normal wyvern, it's completely different."  
"Yes, but I mean not only that. The one I met twelve years ago was stupid. And the one here was pretty intelligent."  
"Indeed, that was odd." He admitted. "But his whole stuff... Bags, bombs, gauntlet..."  
"Gems." Cynder finished his sentence. Tremor jerked his head surprised.  
"What gems?" He asked.  
"At his gauntlet there were six black stones placed in a circle. I guess those were carbuncles, but I'm not sure about that."  
"Well, I missed them." After a moment of silence, he asked "Do you feel it too?"  
"What?" The black dragoness watched him, dumbstruck.  
"Sleepiness. I'm feeling, like falling asleep any second now." Tremor yawned deeply. When he said that, Cynder noticed that she felt this same. With every step, her body was getting a bit heavier, but lost in thoughts, she hadn't felt it before. The earth guardian blinked several times and then fell to the ground.  
"Tremor?" He didn't reply. "Tremor?" She heard silent snoring. She sighed with relief, he was just sleeping. "I'd better take him to city, before I fall asleep too." She said to herself and took the guardian onto her back. She guessed that it was caused by that purple smoke, so she was sure, she'd make it to the city, because she was much shorter in it than Tremor. But after making several steps, she yawned deeply and fell to the ground hardly, as her legs bent rapidly. The whole strength abruptly left her body. "I can't sleep, I can't sleep..." She was repeating to herself while trying to stand up, but the earth guardian on her back didn't make it any easier. After less than a minute, her eyelids appeared to be far too heavy to keep them up. Cynder closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Crue's heart was beating like mad. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" He screamed in his mind. He barely controlled himself from shouting and just said those two words. "Adios, dragón." He was about to kill the youngsters, when some blinding light appeared in front of his eyes. He screamed in pain, his sight was too sensitive for something that intensive. Then, he felt a wave of heat. He jumped away when flames covered his body. It lasted only a second or two but was enough to give him several serious burns. He glared at the newcomers, but all his vision was blurred. He narrowed the pupils of his eyes and finally could see well. He smiled, seeing three dragons.  
"I recognize you. The guardians of lightning and fire and also dragoness, who was once a candidate for a fire guardian. Well, I'm afraid that death of your youngsters is the matter of time, so..." He raised his paw aiming needles at Torch. Then, felt a sudden pain in the arm. He realized that Stella was already standing right in front of him. She tried to stab his face with talons, but he blocked the blow. The strength of the guardian's pulled him back a little. She wasn't in good mood, which was obvious for everyone.  
"Ember, can you heal them?" Stella asked.  
"I think so." The pink dragoness had already taken her son to the ground covered in the shadow of a tree and released Zap from spikes, which had been holding them. "No worries, they'll be alive." She assured. The lightning guardian sighed with relief. At her side stood Flame, ready to fight.  
"Two versus one?" Crue watched them surprised. Then he smirked. "Even better, they will be more spectators of my art." This time he aimed at the fire guardian. He saw a yellow dragoness appearing in front of him. She swung her paw at him slashing his chest.  
"Don't ignore me!" She hissed. Stella tried to finish his life with a slash of a tailblade, but the intruder shielded himself from the blow with a gauntlet. He jumped away and dove quickly, barely avoiding a fireball flying towards him. As he landed, he finally understood something he should have known long time ago; that this battle was going to be at a completly different level than the previous one.

A week earlier

"Who's there?" Crue asked. Only he hadn't fallen asleep in the whole camp. That was, what he thought until now. "Who's there?" The wyvern repeated his question.  
"It's just me. Sable." The newcomer remained in a shadow, the only thing that could be seen in the darkness were his red eyes. Those red, creepy eyes.  
"And what brings you here? Have you already decided to kill me?" Crue asked facetiously. In the newcomer's eyes appeared some strange, scaring sparkle.  
"Not yet. But no worries, I'll kill you soon." The newcomer was deadly serious about that.  
"Are you still mad about those three dragonesses? That was your initiation." Then, Sable appeared from between trees, caught Crue's throat, before he even managed to react and pushed him to the tree. Right, he was rather the fast one, as Crue recalled.  
"Repeat that and I swear I'll slit your throat with no regrets." Sable whispered angrily, his red eyes were giving him even more sinister appearance. After several seconds of silence, he dropped Crue, who started massaging his throat.  
"So, why are you here?" He asked.  
"Duties. Though I would most likely let you die, or even kill you for myself, I have to give you an advice."  
"You're so generous." Crue said sarcastically. "What is it?"  
"When you are in Warfang, avoid fighting the lightning guardian." Crue jerked his head surprised, hearing that.  
"Why should I?" He wasn't going to run away.  
"Because she's the worst enemy for you. She's one of the fastest dragons in the whole world. It means that you're fighting at a long distance and she can literally appear next to you, before you even twinkle. That's not in your favor at all. If you see the lightning guardian, run away. And no matter what, don't vex her, or you're dead." Sable explained him.  
"Sable, trust me, I'll be fine."  
"I hope you won't." Sable replied. "But remember, I warned you." Sable disappeared in the shadows of the night.

Crue ignored all Sable's advices. And he didn't regret that. He will ride out, he will survive. He will show those ignorant dragons the beauty of his art. The beauty of death contained in those small needles. He'll pierce their hearts with cold steel, to show them, what real beauty is.  
"Die!" He screamed, as he shot three needles at Stella. But Sable was right, she was too fast. "Stop moving!"  
"Or what?!" He heard a female voice in the trees beneath him. The wyvern dove, trying to get her, when he saw Flame flying right to him. He shot three needles at the guardian. In reply, the dragon released a stream of fire, which melted all the three bullets. Crue dove avoiding the heat, when Stella appeared next to him. She hit him strongly and though he blocked it, strength of blow sent him to the ground. As he crushed, the lightning guardian swung her tailblade, but the wyvern shielded himself with talons. Then, Flame appeared next to him and shot his side with a fireball. The intruder started hissing with pain, letting the guard down. Stella sent a powerful lightning at him. He squeaked painfully, taking the blow at his chest. Unable to move, he took another fire breather's hit, which sent him a meter farther. Crue was lying on the ground, paralyzed. That was his limit. He lost. He was dying. And then, he saw two red eyes right behind him.  
"Sable...help me..." He whispered. Dragons were getting closer to him every second, but they couldn't see Sable. "Sable..." He whispered with begging voice. All he could see were his red eyes. And that deadly sparkle.  
"I warned you." Sable said with satisfaction and turned around. He started walking away slowly, leaving Crue for death, unnoticed by dragons. He wasn't given any order to help them in Warfang, his boss didn't even know that he was there. All he came there for was watching death of those three wyverns. He had been wishing they would die for very long time. If he was told to help them, he would save Crue. Taking him from there would be surely hard for him, but not impossible. Even, if he was dying, Sable could heal him. But he had no duty to do so. And besides, he was simply not confident enough to fight two guardians at once. Stella and Flame stood in front of the wyvern. The intruder just smiled.  
"Bravo, you won." He admitted scornfully.  
"Why are you here?" Flame asked. He would prefer to kill him, but the wyvern could be still useful.  
"Why should I tell you? You'll kill me anyway."  
"You're dying, so what's the difference, if you tell us or not?" The fire guardian noticed.  
"I'll tell you, but after that, finish me. I don't want slow agony." Crue offered. He knew that his wounds weren't critical enough to kill him in instant, but very slowly.  
"That's a fair deal." The guardians agreed. The wyvern smiled with a relief. That was high price for fast death, but he didn't care anymore.  
"We came here to kidnap or kill two targets."  
"What targets?" Stella asked.  
"I don't know, some two females, Atroz and Brute know it. I'm just a decoy." The wyvern hoped, they didn't notice, it was a bluff. But, even if they knew it, neither of the guardians cared about that.  
"There's the third wyvern?" asked surprised Flame. Crue laughed silently.  
"Yeah. There is one more. Right now, he's going to hatchlings you left unguarded." The wyvern informed them, grinning. Flame cursed silently.  
"We have to go there, right now." The fire guardian stated.  
"I know, but if what he says is true, it's too..." Stella didn't finish her sentence. There was no need to.  
"You go to the youngsters, it still may be not too late. We'll bring Zap and Torch to the city." Ember said. The lightning guardian nodded and jumped in the air. Flame turned to the wyvern.  
"Who sent you here? Who gave you this equipment? What are you?"  
"I told you enough. Now, keep your word." Crue begged him. Flame wanted to refuse, when he heard Ember.  
"Flame, just kill him." The fire guardian watched her surprised. "It's not a dragon way to give him such a pain, even, if he's a wyvern attacking us. We have a deal. And we'll find out the truth sooner or later."  
"Yeah, you're right." Flameus slashed Crue's throat with one swing of his paw, killing him instantly. Though they lost a priceless source of information, he didn't regret that. "Will they be fine?" Flame asked about youngsters. That was all that he cared about in that moment.  
"Yes, but we have to stay here before I heal them." Flame sighed deeply.  
"We have a time."

"Infernus?" Stella jerked her head with surprise, as he met her in the air. "What's going on?"  
"Where are Zap and Torch?" He asked, anxious about the youngsters.  
"Alive, Ember's healing them." She didn't say anything more and he didn't ask about details. "We have to come back to Warfang." Infernus watched her with worries.  
"What's wrong?" He asked.  
"There's the third wyvern. He's going to the twins and Zealous."  
"Damn it!" The fire breather hissed, mad with himself. He understood that by going to his son, he endangered other youngsters. "It's my fault. I should have stayed with them."  
"No, it's not your fault. You couldn't know that there was another intruder."  
"I should have predicted that. And now, they may die..."  
"It's not that bad." Stella tried to cheer him up. "Those wyverns are here after two females. We don't know, who, but if that wyvern goes there, at least one of them is his target to be kidnapped."  
"Still, the others, who aren't targets, will die." Infernus stated gloomily. Stella sighed deeply. She knew that this calculated logic was correct. The lightning guardian smiled to her mate.  
"The others will surely make it in time." She assured him.  
"Let's hope so." Infernus replied silently.


	4. Kidnapped

Chapter 4. "Kidnapped"

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Three youngsters were walking along the corridor in Warfang. "Your mother told us to stay in your room."  
"Oh, come on Zealous, what bad may happen? I'm sure that you've always wanted to check out, what Torch and Zap have in their rooms. Our mom won't even know that we didn't listen to her."  
"Yes, but I don't mean that."  
"So what's on your mind?" Tundra couldn't understand her friends  
"I have really bad feelings about this. Maybe your parents are right, that there's still some danger?"  
"Tundra, she's right. Let's go back to our room." Sierra was still frightened after Brute's attack.  
"Yeah" admitted the ice dragoness. "We'd better come back." The three dragonesses started running the to place where they came from. But they couldn't know, that in shadows was hiding a wyvern. He reloaded his gauntlet and started following them. He decided to use only two shots. He didn't have many needles like those. Those were much smaller, so they couldn't kill, but were covered in special toxin, perfect for his mission. He put them in the gauntlet and aimed at the two hatchlings. The wyvern pressed the trigger  
"Ouch!" Sierra and Tundra felt some light pain in their right shoulders.  
"Something wrong?"  
"No" Sierra looked at a little, trivial thing and took the small metal object in his paws. Then, suddenly both twins fell on the ground floor. Zealous watched them with fear, trying to figure out, what had just happened. The purple dragoness sighed with a relief, when she saw her friends' sides rising and falling. "They're just unconscious."  
"Don't be scared." A gentle, male voice reached the hatchling's ears. She looked around everywhere to find the enemy, but there were only shadows.  
"Who are you?!" She shouted.  
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill any of you."  
"No?" She asked with disbelief, wile trying to find out the enemy's location.  
"Of course not." He said with a warm voice.  
"So what are you going to do?"  
"Kidnap the three of you and escape from Warfang."  
"You can't do it! My daddy will find you and rescue us!"  
"I don't think so. He and Candice still have to extinguish the fire."  
"No, there's not even smoke. And I'm sure, that right now he's flying here to check out, if I'm alright. And I can assure you- he won't be happy, when he sees what you are trying to do." Zealous grinned at Atroz. She was absolutely sure, she was safe.  
"So I will need to hurry up." When the wyvern put his paw on the ground, a small fireball appeared before her face blinding her for a second. The last thing she saw was a paw approaching her face. The youngster fell on the ground unconscious. Atroz went to the three unconscious dragons. Killing any of the youngsters would vex them for sure, so he was going to do it later. He tied all their legs with a rope, did the same with their hind legs and started flying away from the city.

"They are gone!" Spyro and Candice were in the twins' room. It was empty and there were no sings of fight.  
"They must have left the room on their own, Spyro. Let's track their smell." The ice guardian was really angry. Her daughters ignored her at such an important moment.  
"Can you smell it?" Spyro interrupted her thinking.  
"What?"  
"A wyvern." The ice dragoness also noticed the smell and cursed.  
"Yeah, it's bad. Any idea, where he's now?" she asked.  
"Now he will surely try to escape from the city. To do it the fastest he can, he must fly to..."  
"The south." Candice smiled. "I'm sure, we're much faster than the wyvern carrying three hatchlings."  
"Let's get him!" Both dragons started flying the fastest they could. They were feeling hatred to the enemy, who had attacked their daughters and fear, if they would catch him before he could escape.

"What's their state?" Flame asked.  
"They're well enough, so we can carry them to the city." Ember looked at her son, who was breathing hardly. There was high possibility that some poison is still in his body. Then, there would be need for special treatment. There's no antidote to that poison, but if Torch's body gets enough medicines and vitamins, it will be strong enough to get rid of the rest of the poison. Now this was the most important thing. If she ignored it, there would still be a risk, Torch would die.  
"So we're going to hospital." Flame knew that, but he wanted to make sure.  
"Yes. Zap will be alright, but Torch will need some treatment."  
"I'm wondering, what others are doing." Ember just shrugged in reply.  
"No idea. But I doubt, that any of the fights is still going on. Those wyverns lost the moment, when Stella stood between Brute and the youngsters."  
"Even if so, you have to admit, they scared us." Flame noticed.  
"Yes, I hope, we won't meet them. Never again." Ember had no idea how wrong her hopes were.

Atroz was flying. From far away he noticed two dragons coming back. He knew something in his plan had gone wrong. He was worried about Crue. He was his youngest and weakest brother. He knew that he would never run away and this knowledge made him sure, that he was already dead or caught. Suddenly ten meters from him a wall of fire appeared and his gauntlet got covered with ice. That attack was so fast he hadn't even noticed them. Then the wyvern saw him. The purple dragon. His eyes were filled with hatred. He was flying right in front of a firewall. The green lizard understood he had failed. He had to capture or eventually kill at least one of the targets, but they underestimated the dragons and they made too many mistakes. All, that he could do now, was trying to survive.  
"Welcome, purple dragon..." The wyvern tried to play cool, but he was too stressed.  
"Die!" Spyro shot his icy spread. Atroz shielded himself with unconscious hatchlings and the purple dragon's eyes grew wide. Before the attack could hurt anyone he destroyed it with fire.  
"You are quick." Atroz admitted.  
"You are sick!"  
"I would dodge that spike. I don't want anybody to die. You just should know how risky it is to use a breath attack now."  
"You can't escape. You know well that I will get you, wyvern!" Atroz smiled with an approval. He was glad he took all the three of them. Now, it could save his life.  
"Even after my mutation, you recognized that I'm a wyvern. As I guess, you already met my brothers."  
"Yeah, right now they're getting killed by guardians. And your fate will be this same, if you don't give them back right now!" Spyro was very angry. It wasn't a good situation for the wyvern.  
"Yes, you are right, so I suggest exchanging. I won't kill any of those three youngsters, but I want to leave Warfag alive. Do we have a deal?" asked Atroz.  
"Why shouldn't I kill you right now?"  
"Because you care for your daughter. And I don't think that Candice and Tremor would forgive you a loss of their only daughters." Atroz grinned, as he knew that he hit the point.  
"Alright, let them free."  
"Not so fast. I need to be sure, that I will be safe, dragon."  
"So what do you suggest, wyvern?" The last word was said with disdain.  
"Now I will leave you the first hatchling. I will fly away, but you will stay here and start following me after five minutes. After next five miles I will leave another hatchling and last one will be at the city walls. If you get too close, I will kill all the youngsters I have."  
"How can I be sure, that you're not going to kill the last dragoness?"  
"I would pay for it with my own life, which is for me very..."  
"Quit that! I don't trust you!" The purple dragon refused. Atroz smiled. Spyro had the reason not to trust him, since the wyvern wasn't going to keep his promise. He intended to take one of the targets with him after all. He wanted to say something, but then several ice spikes appeared from under, which seriously hurt the wyvern's hinder limbs, so he had to drop the rope with the hatchlings. The wyvern cursed at the dragons and started running away. As he dropped the youngsters, he lost his only bargain chip. The ice guardian caught her daughters and Zealous, put them softly on the ground and was about to chase the enemy. Spyro landed next to her and stopped her from following the enemy.  
"Thanks, Candice."  
"Let me go! I will kill him!" She tried to release herself, but he held her tight.  
"They're safe. That's all that matters." Candice took a deep breath to calm herself.  
"Yeah." She agreed reluctantly Spyro let the ice dragoness free.  
"If you hadn't interfered, there might have been a really problematic situation."  
"Dad, could you cut the rope?" Spyro turned back and saw that all the three hatchlings were conscious already. He started burning the rope and was very careful not to hurt any dragoness. When they were free, they jumped at their parents and started hugging them.  
"Mom, we're sorry we left our room." Sierra and Tundra looked at their mother."  
"Did you go with them, Zealous?" Spyro asked the youngster.  
"Yes, but I'm really sorry, dad." She said, prolonging word "really" in a way characteristic for little dragonesses.  
"Never mind." Spyro said and smiled at his daughter.  
"Yes, it's good to see you're alright." Candice was cuddling her daughters. Normally she would be mad at them, but happiness was too strong to let her shout at them.  
"Let's just go back to the city."

Tremor slowly opened his eyes. He wasn't in the forest anymore, but in city. On his left there were two other dragons: Zap and Torch. The lightning dragon's wing was covered with medical leaves. Because of spikes, it was broken in two places. The fire breather had a lot of medical leaves on his belly and one on his face. Both of youngsters were sleeping. When he looked at the window, he noticed, how long he had been sleeping- it was the sun rise already. Then he noticed Cynder lying by the bed on his right. She already woke up, but she was still lying in. The black dragoness looked at Tremor.  
"Good morning."  
"Good morning" He replied. Then Ember appeared from nowhere.  
"Spyro and Candice were worrying about you. Give me a second, I will call them." The pink dragoness disappeared and returned in a second with Spyro and Candice. She listened to their conversation, but focused mostly on looking after Zap and Torch.  
"You've got your tail kicked again, didn't you?" The ice guardian asked her mate. Tremor just sent her skeptical sight.  
"Me? He was escaping so fast that we could barely catch up with him." The earth guardian refused.  
"Then why did we find you unconscious in the forest?" Candice wondered.  
"It's that strange bomb he used. After we fell in its smoke we started coughing hardly and had such serious problems with breathing that following him wasn't an option anymore. I had scared him off with fear earlier, so he didn't even try to attacking us at that point." Cynder explained.  
"And it's good for us, as it left us defenseless." Tremor noticed.  
"Was he a hard enemy?" Spyro wondered. "Do you know what he wanted?"  
"If not that tricky bomb, both of us would catch him without problems." The black dragoness was pretty sure about that. "And we don't know his motives at all."  
"Or why he had that gauntlet with six carbuncles, I think. This device shooting needles is quite an advanced technology, at least so it seemed to me." The earth guardian noticed.  
"And they had at least two of those. One from that which you fought, the other from the one killed by Flame and Stella." Candice noticed. "I'm sure they weren't working all alone. Someone ordered them to attack us."  
"Most likely." Spyro nodded. "It all seems to me like a piece of something much bigger."  
"But, as for now, we've managed to deal them a nasty blow or two, we know about those enemies hunting us and we're all fine." Tremor smirked in a silly way. "What could possibly go wrong now?" He wondered. Then, suddenly, both he and Cynder started coughing intensively and choking. They were trying to take deeper and deeper inhalations, but couldn't breath. Ember who was standing by Torch and Zap, flew to the room and tried to help, but she couldn't do anything.  
"There must have been something in that smoke."  
"Most likely." Ember agreed with Spyro. Then Stella, Infernus, Flame, Zaelous, Tundra and Sierra, hearing the noise, got to the room. The youngsters looked at their parents and started running to them.  
"Mommy!" Zealous looked at her mother who couldn't breathe now.  
"Everybody leave the room, now!" Ember shouted. "Spyro, Candice, you can stay, but I need silence. They both nodded. Ember focused and started healing both coughing dragons.

Half an hour later, Ember allowed them to come in. Everyone sighed with relief, when they saw that Cynder and Tremor were breathing slowly, but with no problems.  
"What is their state?" Spyro asked.  
"Bad. That's poison, it works, when the heart rate is too fast, so I had to bring them into coma."  
"Coma?" Candice asked surprised. "For how long?"  
"A week. If I tried to bring them into a longer coma, it could end up with complications, I do not often do something like that."  
"So they will wake up in a week. What then?" Stella wondered, already having bad feelings.  
"Any stress, faster work of heart, will cause choking again and bringing them into coma twice in a short time will end up in death."  
"Can't you heal it?" Spyro asked hopefully. Ember shook her head.  
"It's a very well made poison, I'm helpless here. Just medical skills won't work out."  
"So what do we have to do?" Candice asked. She didn't like that whole situation.  
"Before they wake up, we have to find an alchemist, who will make antipoison." Ember explained. "We could go to the Teria, for example."  
"I know one alchemist." Flame said. All the dragons watched surprised at him. "In my city there is an elder, who is probably the best alchemist in the world. His name is Douten, his specialization is poisons and antidotes."  
"That's perfect! We will make this in time, if we fly there right now." Spyro's heart started filling with hope. "I suggest that only me and Candice should fly. Two dragons will get there much faster than five."  
"You're right. Take some food not to lose time hunting." At that moment, three youngsters went in front of their parents.  
"Can we fly with you?" Sierra asked.  
"Yeah, mommy, please!" Tundra, just like her sister gave her a pleasing sight.  
"Kids, you should stay here and look after Cynder and Tremor. And don't forget about your friends, who are still recovering." Spyro forced himself to smile at all the three hatchlings.  
"OK, sir, we will stay here." Sierra and Tundra declared.  
"Yes daddy, we won't do anything reckless." Zealous promised.  
"Thank you." Candice and Spyro said in this same time and kissed their daughters.  
"We should hurry, Spyro." Two dragons glared at their mates once more and left the room.  
"Hey, wait!" Sparx shouted. "I'm flying with you!" The dragonfly left room and followed them. After less than ten minutes all the three of them left Warfang.


	5. Venganza

Chapter 5. "Venganza"

"How are you feeling, Brute?" Two wyverns were sitting at a cliff and watching the dragon city of Warfang. The one, who started conversation was Atroz.  
"Strange, especially when I think of this mutation." Brute was glaring at his front paws. "I'm feeling that I'm almost... dragon." He said that word with the greatest contempt to dragons he could.  
"Yes, me too, but now we all are stronger. Most of us use breath attacks and we have separated wings and front limbs."  
"But don't forget, that this isn't perfect. Sable is still bipedal." Brute noticed.  
"That was just an accident. And despite that, it's profitable for him, look at his fighting style. Besides, whether we like it or not, he's an elite amongst us." It was middle of the night, so the only lights were from watchtowers around the city. There were shadows everywhere else. "Now it would be easy to sneak in the city." He whispered.  
"Yeah, but we shouldn't try this again soon, bro."  
"Have you seen our brother, Brute?"The wyvern nodded. "Have you taken gems?"  
"Yes, all nine spinels." Brute gave his brother nine red stones. "You know, name of this stone is from 'arrow' in another language. That meant he was a perfect shooter."  
"Espejo was right about him. Just because he aimed perfectly, it didn't mean that he was a talented warrior. Those needles weren't enough."  
"He had a chance to win a fight with one dragon." stated Atroz.  
"Or he could use poisoned needles."  
"Yes, but death of our brother will gives us profits. Now dragons will underestimate us, especially when he was a weakling."  
"They have no idea about our real powers. I wish I could see Icey fighting Candice. Ice versus ice." Brute smiled devilishly. "At the moment of her death, Tremor's face would be priceless. I wish I could see it as well." Atroz just shook his head slowly in disbelief, as hearing that.  
"You're monstrous even more than me." They both laughed at that obvious lie. Neither of them could know, how prophetic Brute's words were.

Several hours later, a camp of wyverns was placed a lot of miles away from Warfang. There were just several tents, one of them was filled with equipment. In the middle of the camp was placed a bonfire. The fire was extinguished, infinite darkness was everywhere. The whole place was surrounded by miles of dense forest. Six males and one young female were sitting in a circle. Even when everybody was at their places, nobody was going to start the conversation. The leader of the group, called Primero, looked at Brute and Atroz. Even in complete darkness, he noticed that both wyverns were really stressed and Crue wasn't with them. Primero understood what had happened, but he wanted them to tell the whole story.  
"Atroz, Brute, what happened at the mission?"  
"They totally failed the mission, Primero." A young one joined the conversation.  
"I haven't asked you, Espejo." Their boss glanced at the youngest wyvern in the group.  
"Yeah, shut up." Atroz told him with ordering voice. "Primero, I, Brute and Crue sneaked into Warfang. While they were making a diversion, I captured three hatchlings: twin daughters of guardians of earth and ice and Cynder and Spyro's Zealous."  
"So where are they now? Did you kill them?"  
"The purple dragon and ice guardian stopped me. They stole those hatchlings from me and I had to run away."  
"So we lost Noveno Vengantimo and didn't get any target?"  
"Yes, Primero." The wyvern said that words with apology.  
"How did Crue die?"  
"He was fighting guardians of fire and lightning," answered Atroz.  
"And what were you doing, Brute?"  
"At first I almost killed those three hatchlings Atroz was talking about, but the lightning guardian stopped me. Later I was fighting Tremor and Cynder." Primero's eyes grew wide as he heard those names. He totally forgot about one of those dragons in his plans.  
"They're good warriors, huh?"  
"Yes, Primero," he admitted. "By the way, I have two requests. First, I want to kill the guardian of fire."  
"Why?"  
"He killed my brother. Now I can have my venganza."  
"Vengeance, not venganza. Use dragon's, not wyvern's language." Primero corrected him. "I refuse, you're not strong enough to get him. Now, your second request."  
"I want to kidnap one of those hatchlings." Then he went to Primero and whispered a simple name.  
"Why should you?"  
"It's...complicated. There are...personal reasons."  
"If you want so. Just make sure, it won't interfere fulfilling our plan." The leader demanded. Brute nodded; he was thinking intensively. "I know, what you are wondering about. We will avenge him, Sexto."  
"I will do it, Primero." The young wyvern grinned. He was a powerful one and he wasn't afraid of any enemy.  
"Aren't you too confident, Espejo?" Brute wondered.  
"Don't worry about me, Brute. Like we all, I am Vengantimo. I have to get my own venganza too."  
Primero looked at all the wyverns. They all felt need to kill. To kill those, who thought that they were the kings of the world and nobody could do anything against their orders. Their hatred was all they felt to dragons. He knew that if they got into a city, they would start uncontrollable carnage.  
"Before Espejo starts slaughtering all dragon kind, I have a mission for you, Cuarto." The wyvern, who was silent the whole conversation, glanced at his leader.  
"Finally, a mission for me."  
"Dad, I want to come with Sable too." A dragoness, the youngest of all those gathered spoke for the first time in the whole conversation.  
"There's no need to, Vixen. Sable will deal with it." Primero replied.  
"But dad, I want to. I really want to see Spyro." The small dragoness glared at him with a cute pleasing sight. Primero rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help that he couldn't refuse to her sweet eyes.  
"Fine, just be careful. Let me explain your mission."

Spyro and Candice were flying for two days already. They were eating while flying and barely sleeping. Both of them had no signs of tiredness. Even if one of them should fall down because of weariness or sleepiness, the other dragon would catch him and continue the flight without even slowing down.  
"Do you think, we will make it in time?" Candice asked.  
"If we keep at this rate, we will be back two days before they wake up." Spyro said optimistically. Then, there could be heard a female giggle behind them. "Candice? Did you hear that?" The ice dragoness nodded and looked for somebody, but they were alone.  
"That's probably nothing. We have no time to stop." Two dragons continued their flight. Then the purple dragon heard a giggle again. He jerked his head to see a small black dragoness flying right next to him. She almost exactly looked like Cynder, but her scales were even darker, eyes were green, though also a bit darker than Cynder's and she was much younger. Spyro guessed she was eleven or twelve. The black dragoness smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips. After a second, she interrupted it, by flying between them. The young dragoness was grinning.  
"Hi there, Spyro. You're even more handsome than I thought." Spyro clumsily tried to hide that he blushed softly and the youngster just laughed. "Don't flush, like a teenager whose girlfriend just confessed love. I'm not the first black dragoness who kissed you." Candice laughed and the purple dragon gave her an annoyed sight.  
"She hit a point." The ice guardian explained herself. Spyro rolled his eyes. He and the ice guardian tried to ask the newcomer about something, but she interrupted him by her finger.  
"Shhh, Spyro, I know, what you want to say. First, what my name is. Second, why an eleven- year old and surely defenseless dragoness is in this forest completely alone without her parents, right?" Both dragons glanced at her surprised and nodded. "So listen to me. Firstly, my name is Vixen. Secondly, I'm not eleven, but fifteen and at my age, you, Spyro, together with Cynder, defeated Malefor. Thirdly, I'm not defenseless, I'm a very good user of wind, that's why, you heard my giggle, but didn't smell me. Fourthly, I'm not alone here. There's someone, you have to meet." Three dragons were flying in silence, which was interrupted by Candice.  
"Sorry, Vixen, but we have no time for conversation, because..."  
"I know, what happened at Warfang. My friend has information about those three mutant wyverns who attacked you: Brute, Crue and Atroz." Vixen smiled as she glanced at the two surprised dragons. "Follow me." The small black dragoness suddenly dove and started spinning very quickly. She flew between trees and two meters above the ground, she straightened her wings stopping rotation and started flying in parallel to the ground. Candice's eyes grew wide.  
"How did she do that? If I tried something like that, I would crash against the ground." The guardian wondered. The purple dragon smiled, as they followed the black dragoness.  
"Yeah, me too. She's using wind. Seems like she told the truth. She isn't weak." Spyro admitted. The black dragoness was now about ten meters in front of them. She went down to a field and stopped, Spyro and Candice landed next to her.  
"Sable! I found them! I know, you're here, don't hide! Sable!" All the three heard, somebody was coming. From the trees, the one called Sable appeared in front of them. He was even more strange than Brute and other wyverns, who they had already seen. His age was most probably equal to the guardians'. Sable hadn't metal gauntlet and was bipedal, but his wings and front limbs were separated. He looked almost like Max. Like all wyverns, he had characteristic scales and a jaw. Contrary to those, who attacked Warfang, he had red eyes. They weren't filled with hatred as Brute's or Crue's, but with cordiality. At his back were placed crosswise two katanas. As the black dragoness saw Sable, she flew to him and they hugged in a friendly way.  
"Vixen, I told you to stay with me. Primero told you that this time, you're the one to listen orders." The dragoness rolled her eyes.  
"Are you mad at me?" The wyvern jerked his head surprised.  
"What? You know, I can't be angry with you about something so trivial." The black dragoness smiled.  
"Sable?"  
"Not now, it would be indiscretion to make our guests wait too long." The wyvern said.  
"But..." Dragoness tried to continue, but he caught her mouth by his right paw not to let her speak. He knew, it was the only way to make her silent.  
"Lady Candice, Mister Spyro, sorry to make you wait so long. My name is..." Then his eyes grew wide, as he felt a terrible pain in his right paw and the two dragons tried not to laugh. The wyvern slowly turned his head to see the young dragoness, who had just bitten his hand. "Would you like to drop it?" Vixen grinned and shook her head giving her friend a lot of pain. Then she said with closed teeth.  
"Not until you listen to me." Sable rolled his eyes. That was Vixen's character. If she wanted something, she would get it, even if she had to bite her best friend. At moments like that, he hated her being so childish.  
"How about you'll drop me and then I'll listen to you?" The black dragoness thought for moment and then she nodded giving Sable another wave of pain and dropped his hand. "So what do you want from me?"  
"Sparing." Everybody was surprised by that request.  
"Now?" The black dragoness glanced at him with begging eyes.  
"Pleeeeeaaaaase..." Vixen watched him cutely. The wyvern rolled his eyes.  
"Vixen, no. There is time and place for everything." He admonished her with gentle voice. The little dragoness just groaned sadly.  
"Now, let us continue." In meanwhile, wyvern charged small lightning in his paw and directed it at the another, bleeding paw. After several seconds, blood stopped flowing.  
"He used the lightning to heal himself. Lightning from paw." Spyro's eyes opened wide.  
"He's good. I've never seen an ability like that."  
"Me neither, but I'm sure, that he would be able to do that if he had any other element."  
"Yes, I guess so." Candice agreed. "So we already know that Sable has lightning and Vixen uses the wind."  
"I am a healer and lightning supports my abilities slightly." The wyvern explained. "Before we start the conversation, let us introduce ourselves. My name is Sable, Cuarto Vengantimo, fourth Vengantimo." Then the wyvern bowed in the same way, as the previous time.  
"I'm Vixen, black dragoness." Vixen grinned to them cheerfully.  
"I'm Spyro, purple dragon."  
"I am Candice, guardian of ice." Both dragons bowed gently. The wyvern looked annoyed at her. "Could you stop glaring at me like that?" The ice dragoness asked.  
"Dear Candice, even in your title there is pride, because of which, dragons almost have become extinct. You call yourself a guardian. But other races don't need or respect you. Why isn't your title 'dragon guardian'?"  
"Because I used a shortcut."  
"So wyverns aren't worthy enough to hear your whole title?"  
"It's not that you're not worthy to hear my title. I always use a shortcut, because everybody knows what I mean." Candice was really angry because of Sable's suggestion.  
"Sable, quit it already." Vixen turned to the dragons. "Candice, sorry for him, he really hates racists."  
"Never mind." replied the ice dragoness. "So why do you two want to talk with us?"  
"I'm a member of the organization which attacked you a few days ago. I want to share some information with you."  
"Does your boss know about this meeting?" Candice couldn't believe that the enemy was going to give them the priceless information just like that.  
"He told me to tell you all that."  
"Why?"  
"Because he wants you, dragons, to treat our organization as real danger, not just some random attack. We call ourselves Venganza. Its name comes from wyvern language, meaning vengeance, of course. There are only wyverns." Seeing, they wanted to ask about Vixen, he added "Vixen formally isn't a member of Venganza. Members are called Vengantimos and we aren't ordinary. We are as intelligent as dragons and each of us has special abilities. You saw Brute, Crue and Atroz at fight already."  
"They were specific, but you are really strange. How did that happen?" the purple dragon asked.  
"You mean my bipedality? No offence, I'm afraid, that it's not the subject of our conversation."  
"I see. How did that happen that all of you are so intelligent?" Candice looked at Sable and hoped to hear the answer. The wyvern sighed annoyed with all those question, but he should have expected that.  
"Not all wyverns are as dull as those from south. Some nations of wyverns from north are more intelligent than you could imagine. And if you want to ask about our elements, I'm afraid you'll need to be patient. Answers will come with time."  
"Patience isn't my advantage." stated the ice dragoness.  
"Then it's a chance to train it, lady Candice. I'm sure you have noticed those beautiful stones at our weapons?" Sable changed subject of conversation.  
"We met one wyvern with six carbuncles." Candice said.  
"That was Brute, called also Sexto, the sixth. The rule about the number of stones is really simple. Fewer stones, more power. For example, I have two chryzoberyls at each blade."  
"So you have only four at your swords and as I said Brute had six." Candice noticed  
"I'm much stronger than Brute." Sable stated obvious fact, grinning.  
"And what about Vixen?" The small dragoness smiled at Candice, who asked that question.  
"I have no jewelry because I'm not a member of Venganza. I'm our boss's, Primero's, fighting partner and his adopted daughter."  
"How did you, Sable, get those gems?" the purple dragon jerked his head curiously.  
"You are searching for an alchemist, also the elder of the city. You should ask him."  
"And what about the stones color?" Spyro continued asking. "I guess that every of you have other."  
"They symbolize our abilities. Brute has carbuncles- he uses bombs, as you already know."  
"And your power is lightning?"  
"Oh, come on. Isn't that obvious?" Cuarto asked. "I said enough already. I have only the last message. You're coming to the eastern city. But be careful. The city you're coming to... You will soon come back there, or terrible things will happen. If you ignore me, this will start horrific butchery of innocent. The little city will turn into a river of dragons' blood. At the attack at Warfang you were afraid of the loss of your family and friends. Now think about survivors of that slaughtered town... The only thing you can do to stop it is to get there before ten weeks pass. I mean all the guardians, you Spyro, Cynder, Ember, Infernus and all the youngsters of yours."  
"You are ready to attack the whole city?" The ice guardian asked with disbelief.  
"Yes." Cuarto agreed, to surprise of guardians, with note of sadness.  
"We will come there, you monster." Candice looked at him with hatred.  
"I'm just delivering bad news. Don't be so mad." Sable pleased.  
"But, if we do not come, you, as member of Venganza will kill innocent dragons."  
"Oppositely to other Vengantimos, I respect dragons. As a medic, I respect life. I'm delivering you this message not to let any innocent dragons die. We, wyverns, are not savages. Well... not all of us." He smiled meaningfully. "And now, would you like to leave, so we'll go back to our camp without using unwanted violence?" Candice wanted to let them go, but Spyro called the wyvern.  
"Come here, Sable. Only you. I want to tell you something and don't want Vixen to hear that." Cuarto smiled.  
"I hope, it's not a trap to kill me by surprise?" He asked.  
"Of course not! I swear on my honor." Spyro refused quickly.  
"Alright then. Vixen, stay here and don't try to overhear. I can notice your wind." The young dragoness hung her head sadly and nodded. The wyvern flew to two dragons and landed in front of them.  
"Vixen. Dragoness, who fights like she was at least twenty, her real age is fifteen, she looks like she was ten and behaves as if she was five. Sable, I can't believe, that your boss made the little dragoness join your organization." Cuarto just smiled.  
"When I joined them five years ago, I told Primero this same thing. Do you want to know, what I heard?" Both dragons nodded. "Vixen used to be a wyverness. When she was five, she lost her whole family and was banished from her own home. Then Primero found her in the forest. Alone, exhausted, seriously ill. Our leader transformed her into dragoness and grew her up. He was for her like father and when I joined Venganza, I became her brother. I asked Primero, why he didn't just leave a five-year old dragoness in a dragon city. He could even erase her memories not to let her tell anybody about us. But he said that he needed her. He needs each of us. And trust me, I hate this more than anyone else."

"Is everything alright, Spyro?" the ice guardian glanced at the purple dragon. Their conversation with Sable and Vixen finished one hour earlier and none of them interrupted the silence until now.  
"We have so many answers, but still more questions."  
"It's not good. If they want to get us, our kids are endangered."  
"We need to know, what they really want."  
"Who are members of Venganza."  
"How many stones Crue had."  
"How many members they have."  
"Will alchemist have antipoison?" Both dragons felt, that everything was out of their control. They couldn't attack the wyverns. They could just defend themselves and hope that would be enough. Because of the attack of only three wyverns all the youngsters were in danger and Tremor and Cynder still could die. And if Brute was the sixth, that meant that there are minimum four wyverns still alive. And Vixen.  
"Candice?" the ice dragoness jerked her head.  
"Huh?"  
"What do you think about Sable?"  
"Well, he seems to be quiet strong, maybe at my level. And still, his rank is only fourth." Candice sighed deeply. "And there's something strange about him. I'm not sure how to call it."  
"Even if he's supposed to be an enemy, in your heart, you feel that you like him?" Spyro guessed. Candice nodded, agreeing. She was a bit surprised at first, but she understood that Spyro felt this same way.  
"Exactly. It's like he wasn't a bad guy at all." She admitted.  
"Yeah, I know what you mean. What about Vixen?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"She's our enemy. Someday we will have to fight against her in a battle for life and death. But I feel that if I were her opponent, if I had to choose, me or her, I wouldn't be able to kill her. She's just too similar to Cynder. And besides, she's just a youngster." Spyro felt creeps as he thought about the duel with the young dragoness.  
"I think that fighting those two will be the hardest duels. Not just because of their skills, but also character." Candice noticed. "I hope those won't occur."  
"Yeah, it's hard to fight somebody you started liking." Spyro shook his head. "Let's forget about that, for now. We have other problems, actually." Candice nodded. She wasn't in mood for conversations like that. She knew that Spyro was right. If the alchemist had no antidote for this kind of poison, they couldn't do anything. They would have to watch their mates die. Both dragons were thinking about future, when Candice shook her head to stop speculating about this and looked forward to it. Then she smiled and poked Spyro's side.  
"Look! We've reached the city!"


	6. The eastern city

Chapter 6. "The eastern city"

In Venganza's base there were only five wyverns. Primero and Vixen had left the camp two days earlier. Because of that, the aura in the camp was really dense. In effect, at night most of the members started shouting at each other and trying to make the other listen to him. The only calm wyvern there was Icey, the ice user, Sable's friend.  
"Shut up now!" Espejo shouted at Brute. "I'm stronger than you, so listen to me!"  
"You're not going to shout at my brother, moron!" Atroz turned to the wyvern with an angry look.  
"How did you call me?"  
"Are you such an addle-head that I have to repeat?" Atroz shouted back. Icey rolled his eyes, as Espejo jumped at Atroz with an intent to give him a first-class lesson of which of them was a better fighter. Before either of the two wyverns reached their enemies, a sudden blow of fast wind made all the wyverns collapse. A young black dragoness appeared from shadows.  
"You're just like kids. I and Primero will stop looking after you for a second and you're about to kill each other." They heard an angry female voice. The ice wyvern, Icey, glanced at the newcomer.  
"Vixen." His voice didn't show any surprise, but it was Icey's nature. He showed no feelings except one- pure hatred to all dragons. The only exception was Vixen, just because she used to be a wyvern. "Why are you here?" He wondered.  
"Primero knew how leaving you all alone would end up, so I have to be your babysitter until he's back." Vixen giggled quietly as she saw the wyverns' reaction. Sable and Icey controlled their faces perfectly, Brute and Espejo did it a bit worse and Atroz didn't control it at all. He looked like somebody slapped him in the face.  
"What? A brat like you has to be our boss? You've got to be kidding! I'm not going to listen to you!" The fire wyvern couldn't believe what he heard. The black dragoness flew to him and stood in front of him. She didn't even try to hide her anger.  
"Would you like to repeat yourself? I think I heard that you don't accept Primero's orders." She couldn't believe that anyone would dare disobey her beloved daddy.  
"Yes, I'll repeat it, if you're too stupid and pebble brain to understand me. You're fifteen. I'm twice older. I'm not going to listen to a brat who is much weaker and younger than me. Moreover, I don't see any reason, why somebody so defenseless and childish sticks around Venganza." Vixen gave him a mad look. She hated hearing that she was a youngster. Atroz noticed that. "Sorry, my mistake, I found one reason. I don't have to leave the camp and look for any females in forests, when such a sexy chick as you is here." Atroz chuckled, seeing fury in her eyes. Brute and Espejo started laughing loudly. Sable wanted to give the fire wyvern a powerful hit, but he was stopped by Icey. Ice user hasn't shown any reaction to Atroz's words.  
"Calm down, Sable. You know best that contrary to appearances, Vixen just seems to be child. She can handle Atroz." Sable rolled his eyes. He exactly knew that, but even so, he hated to be helpless.  
"You suggest that I'm a weakling?" Vixen asked, ignoring the second part of his sentence, and the fire wyvern nodded. "Hit me then."  
"What?" The wyvern asked with disbelief.  
"Hit me. If you're so strong, you'll easily kick my tail."  
"I'm not going to beat a female!" Atroz refused. The dragoness laughed loudly.  
"But there was no problem with beating Zealous, Sierra and Tundra unconscious, huh?" She waited for several seconds to gain a better effect. "Coward." Then the black dragoness started walking around the whole camp and singing like a little girl, how cowardly and weak Atroz was. The fire breather stood still for only ten seconds, then he jumped to Vixen. He slashed by both paws, but the dragoness easily dodged the attack. She hit his face twice before he shielded himself from the next fast attack. Next, Vixen sent him in the air by a blow of wind from her wings and, by both hinder legs, kicked him at the underbelly. The wyvern fell onto the ground and groaned painfully. The black dragoness landed in front of him. "Coward and weakling." She despised Atroz. One could easily read it from her voice. "And also, I know I'm young." She whispered. Her voice was filled with anger. "Much too young for mating, you sick pervert, so if you suggest me so disgusting a thing like doing this with you once more..." Vixen touched Atroz's throat with her tailblade and grinned her little girl's smile. "...I'll kill you." Sable smiled to Icey. The ice wyvern turned his head at Cuarto.  
"Have you ever doubted?" Icey asked.  
"Not at all. You were right."  
"I'm always right."  
"Yeah." Sable admitted. The black dragoness jumped between Cuarto and his friend and started speaking.  
"Stand up, Atroz. I have orders from Primero for you."

Candice and Spyro were in the city in the afternoon. It grew bigger than ten years ago, as all the wars were over now. Wolves and apes weren't dangerous to dragons anymore.  
"You two! Stop!" Ten meters in front of them were two sentries. "Who are you?"  
"I'm Spyro, the purple dragon and she's Candice, the ice guardian."  
"So young dragoness is a guardian?" One of sentries asked with surprise.  
"Yeah..."Candice was guardian for ten years and still, she'd meet dragons surprised about her age, to her annoyance.  
"Oh...I'm sorry. It's really a big honor to see such respectable dragons in our city."  
"Yes, yes, sorry, but we have no time for talking. Where are the elders of the city now?"  
"In that tower." Dragon pointed at the highest building in the center of the town. "They're now having a meeting, so it would be very inappropriate to interrupt it. I suggest that you should wait, until..."  
"We have no time for it. Candice, we're going."  
"You can't..."  
"Quit it." Candice was getting angry the second time this day. "My mate is about to die and you're not helping us." The dragons ignored shocked sentries and continued flying to the elders. Both dragons noticed that the city had changed. It was much bigger and there were a lot of hatchlings everywhere. When they were going by the cemetery Spyro noticed something.  
"Look, there's Gaia's grave." Even from that height he could read description at her grave.  
"Yeah, I see it. There are fresh flowers." Indeed, a big bouquet of white flowers was lying at the tomb.  
"It's good to know that somebody remembers about her." Then an awkward idea came to Spyro's mind. "We should have visited it earlier. We haven't been here for too long."  
"Yes...Soon we will be back there so we will have the opportunity."  
"You know, I'm worried if that alchemist will have an antidote."  
"Faith and hope." Candice whispered.  
"What?" Spyro didn't understand what she was talking about.  
"Faith and hope. Have faith that everything will turn out alright. And hope for the best when it does. Stella told me that when Tremor was dying."  
"Now I know how you felt then."  
"Then it was much worse. When I found him, I was watching him close his eyes probably for the last time and I had no chance to say that I loved him. Later I was waiting and wondering, if Ember would manage to save him. Now, I know that he lived through so much, even died once and he just can't leave us. He's strong. Both of them are strong. They just must stay with us." The ice guardian said confidently.  
"We are already here." Both dragons landed in front of a very high tower. It was all white with a lot of windows. Most of them were open, so inside the building it wasn't too hot. They were about to get in, but five sentries stopped them.  
"Not again." Candice brought her head close to Spyro and lowered her voice. "If they do not let us in, just follow me." Spyro looked at the opened windows above and grinned, as he understood the plan.  
"I'm standing in for the captain of security here. Can I do something for you?"  
"We want to talk with the elders." Spyro explained.  
"I'm afraid I can't let you in." The dragon refused. Candice looked at him surprised.  
"But...It's really important. We have no time to lose."  
"Last week an assassin wyvern tried to sneak into that building. He intended to kill one of the elders. How can I trust you?"  
"I'm the ice guardian." The sentry laughed.  
"My tail, you are. A kid like you can't be a guardian. You surely haven't fought even once in a serious battle." If Candice's look could kill, the sentry would be already lying dead on the ground. Spyro noticed that.  
"Calm down." He said to her. Then, he turned at guard. "Don't you trust the purple dragon?" Spyro looked at the sentry and he was sure that he got a point. He didn't like playing like that, but the case was too serious.  
"Malefor was a purple dragon too."  
"Nasty riposte, I'd say. And he's not going to let us in." Candice whispered to Spyro.  
"You aren't helping me." The purple dragon whispered.  
"How long are we supposed to wait?" The ice guardian asked the sentry.  
"They've just started, it may take them even the whole day." Candice sighed.  
"Come on, Spyro, seems like we have to wait." The purple dragon watched her surprised, but she winked to him, as she turned her back to the sentry. "Just follow me Spyro." She whispered. Then, suddenly both dragons started flying. At first sentries ignored them, but Candice and Spyro flew to the tower through an open window.  
"No way." He whispered. "Alert! Intruders!" He shouted and with his teammates started following them quickly. Spyro and Candice were already flying down a narrow stairway but fire breathers were right behind them.  
"Now we just need to find the elders."  
"I thought you had a better plan than just that, Candice." Spyro blamed her.  
"Now it's your turn to figure a plan out. I got us in." She riposted. Then a small fire shot from behind scratched her back. "Stop right there!" She turned back and made a big wall of ice which stopped the sentries for some time. When they landed in the corridor, they saw ten sentries staying at the entrance to the room where the elders had their meeting.  
"Well, it's not good."  
"We're almost there." The purple dragon said.  
"So do you have a plan?"  
"We are going through them."  
"I like this idea." Candice smiled. Her grin was at least disquieting.  
"Don't hurt anyone." Spyro pleased.  
"I know." Then the captain and his squad appeared behind them. Candice and Spyro started flying right to the entrance, but the sentries in front of them saw the intruders, closed the wooden gate and started shooting fire at them. Fireballs were everywhere around them, but Spyro and Candice, thanks to a miracle were successfully dodging them. When they were about to hit the door with their heads, the only thing they did was covering them with their hands. They went through the gate totally destroying it, but they almost lost their consciousness and started rolling on the ground. Before they saw the elders, fifteen dragons jumped on them, so they couldn't even move.  
"What are you doing?" a young voice reached Spyro and Candice.  
"We stopped some intruders. They tried to get to the elders, but when I refused to let them in, they flew into the building through a window."  
"Get them off and leave!" Young, as for elder, voice shouted.  
"But..."  
"Now!" Candice and Spyro breathed deeply and saw five elders. Dragons of fire, ice and earth were old, but dragon of lightning and another earth dragon with a big scar close to the left eye were the guardians' age. Then the lightning dragon looked at the intruders.  
"I'm sorry for the security. There was an assassin not much time ago, so they are really careful. My name is Ray, I'm the elder of lightning."  
"My name is Candice, the guardian of ice and my friend is Spyro, the purple dragon."  
"The ice guardian. And legendary purple dragon. And our guards made them break into the building of elders." Ray sighed deeply and shook his head with disbelief. "What happened to our courtesy..." He turned at guests. "How can I help you? And how is Tremor doing?"  
"Not good. Three strange wyverns calling themselves Venganza attacked the Warfang. Tremor and other dragoness were poisoned." Candice explained. "It's not wyvern's poison, we don't have antidote for it. Flame said that one of you is the alchemist."  
"I guess he meant me." Everybody looked at a young earth dragon. "My name is Douten. I'm an alchemist, thanks ancestors my specialization are poisons and antidotes." Then, he turned to other elders. "I'm sorry, but please, continue the meeting without me. When somebody is poisoned, every second may decide if he will survive. You two, follow me."

Three dragons were sitting in Douten's house at a circular table. On one wall of the room there were a lot of shelves with books about alchemy. On the wall behind the earth dragon there were hundreds of elixirs.  
"Spyro, there's lot of stuff here." Sparx said and pointed at the shelf behind the purple dragon. There were metal gauntlets, needles, beautiful stones and a lot of bombs. As Spyro and Candice noticed them, their eyes grew wide.  
"Something happened?"  
"Those wyverns, who attacked us, were using equipment like this." Spyro said.  
"That's possible. Some wyverns stole my equipment, when I was going to sell it in Teria and the second time, when I was going to the Leafen. It was about five years ago."  
"Who wanted to buy it?" Candice had a feeling that this person may know something about the wyverns.  
"To tell you, I would need to look for some notes and as I guess, you don't have much time..."  
"No, we don't." Spyro admitted.  
"How did you get that scar?" The ice dragoness asked with curiosity.  
"This is my sign of the past." It was obvious he didn't want to talk about that.  
"It's not time for this, Candice." Spyro admonished her.  
"Yeah." She cursed herself for asking such not important things. "Douten, do you have any antidote?"  
"I need to know, what type of poison was used. I guess you don't have blood of those dragons?" Spyro and Candice looked at each other and shook their heads sadly. The earth dragon smiled slightly. "Don't worry, just tell me, what happened to them." The dragons looked at each other. Spyro nodded and started his story.  
"At first, a cloud of black gas made them both sleep. They woke up after about sixteen hours. About ten minutes later, they started intensive and harsh coughing. They couldn't breathe, so Ember put them in coma for about a week. It worked and we have only four days left."  
"So after some time, they simply started to choke?" Douten asked.  
"Yes." Candice replied shortly.  
"Who is that Ember?"  
"The fire guardian's mate." The purple dragon explained.  
"Is she a medic?"  
"Yes. A really good one." This time Candice answered the question.  
"No doubts about that. Impressing, that she worked that out so quickly. But still you have only four days. Please wait a moment, I will look for the antidote." Douten went to his elixirs and started looking for it.  
"What do you think, who puts flowers at Gaia's grave?" Candice lowered her voice, so only Spyro could hear her.  
"Why are you so interested in this?"  
"I would like to meet her friends."  
"Did you know Gaia?" Douten said to the ice guardian without stopping searching for the antidote.  
"Yes, her brother, Tremor is my mate." Candice explained.  
"Tremor... He's the poisoned one, isn't he?" He asked rhetorically. "He always falls in troubles." The alchemist sighed deeply. "We were friends a lot of years ago." Douten explained.  
"Something happened between you two?"  
"It's a long story, we don't have time for it. The poison which was used by those wyverns is very specific. My personal masterpiece, stolen from me with that equipment. It works with some time delay." As the alchemist started explaining, both Spyro and Candice noticed pride in his voice. "It works in two stages, the first one gives time for the user to back off and the second one finishes the enemy after several hours. It's supposed to look like a normal disease, but Ember worked it out much too early." He said it with a true pity, which, at least, surprised them. As if Douten didn't care about Tremor, but the efficiency of his poison. "Oh dear, I'll have to improve it later to make death look more...accidental."  
"You're treating those poisons like some... art." Candice noticed with disgust. She couldn't believe that someone with such low assessment of value of life was elder. Douten smiled and nodded.  
"It is art. Such a small bottle can give and take life. Isn't that magnificent? Isn't this art?" Then the earth dragon showed a small bottle of gold elixir. The antidote. He was forcing himself to smile, so both dragons knew that something was wrong.  
"The good news is that I have the antidote." Both dragons sighed with relief, but then the smile disappeared from Douten's face. "The bad new is that it's enough for only one person."  
"What?!" Candice and Spyro asked at this same moment.  
"You will have to choose, whose life you will save."  
"Are you sure about this?" Spyro couldn't believe that. They were so close and yet so far.  
"Absolutely."  
"Can't you make more of this?" asked the purple dragon.  
"It would take about two weeks."  
"What if we give it to both dragons?" Candice also wasn't going to give up.  
"Sure, if each of them drinks only half of the elixir, both of them will die."  
"Are you certain?"  
"There's little chance, about five percent, but don't risk. Just trust me, if you try anything, they both will die."  
"Spyro?" Candice looked at the purple dragon. She didn't know what to say. She just couldn't find words to say it to him. And she knew, both of them knew, that a simple word 'please' was just too much to be said. Nobody could say anything. Then the purple dragon took a deep breath and interrupted painful silence.  
"Thank you Douten. Candice, we should go." The guests left the house and started flying away.

It was almost night already. He was holding the little bottle and looking at the gold liquid inside it. Candice watched it too. This was just too much for her. Tears started appearing in her eyes and falling down to the forest beneath them. Right as they thought everything would be alright, they had to choose, who they would save. They barely slept and ate all this time and broke into that tower to get only one bottle of elixir.  
"Who, Spyro?" asked the ice guardian, as they both were flying through the darkness.  
"Huh?" He glared into Candice's eyes and understood everything.  
"Who shall we save?"  
"I don't know. Don't think about this now."  
"Why not? We will have to choose it anyway! Why not now?!" Candice wanted to just finish this all. She couldn't stand that uncertainty. Everything had to be decided right then, or she would probably go crazy.  
"I just...can't do it."  
"Me too, but we have to. We can't postpone it for eternity."  
"I have no idea what to do with it." Spyro was really confused. He didn't know what to say.  
"Both of us have to choose: friend or mate." Then, some idea came to the purple dragon's head.  
"I think I know how to solve our problem." Then Candice's heart stopped for a second. The sentence which Spyro was about to say could decide, who will die and who will survive. She wanted to save both of them, but there was no way.  
"What do you suggest?"  
"We should share it."  
"What?! Douten said, that..."  
"Faith and hope, Candice. Weren't you the one, who said that earlier?" The ice dragoness looked at Spyro who was just grinning warmly at her. He was the second person who told her those words, when Tremor was about to die. Then she understood why Spyro suggested this solution. He and she alike couldn't stand that one of their mates would have to die to save the other. That's why he wanted to try to save them both, even if that was so risky. The ice guardian smiled, as she heard that words. He was so sure about that. She really believed everything was going to be fine.  
"Thank you."


	7. Critical state

Chapter 7. "Don't die"

The dragon city of Warfang. It's a really big place and there are not many inhabitants, so it was never a loud one. But that day, there was no even a whisper, only quintessence of silence. Everybody, even youngsters, lost their eager to laugh and have fun. Zealous, Tundra and Sierra were walking aimlessly along wide streets. Sorrow was so intensive, they couldn't even smile. Stella, Infernus, Ember and Flame spent all their time looking after Zap, Torch, Cynder and Tremor. Spyro and Candice still had two days to come back to town, but everybody was afraid, if they would make this in time. Three hours after the sunrise, Ember called all adults. From her face expression they could read she hadn't any good news.  
"There's something, you should see." When all the four dragons walked to beds, the pink dragoness said: "Listen to Cynder's breath." All the dragons got closer to the black dragoness. She was breathing much lower than even a sleeping dragon. This was surely the effect of coma. "Now listen to Tremor's breathing." It was even more regular than Cynder's, but it was much faster than the dragoness's one.  
"Is he..." Infernus couldn't believe what he was about to say.  
"Yes, he started waking up." Ember admitted sadly.  
"You said that he would wake up the day after tomorrow. So how is that possible?" Stella looked shocked at the earth guardian.  
"I...I don't know. Something went wrong, maybe he...he..." She sighed deeply. "I have no idea, but it doesn't change the fact, that Tremor will wake up not later than this night."  
"Can't you put him in coma again?" Stella asked, afraid, that she already knew answer.  
"I would have to wait another week after he woke up or his heart would most surely stop." Ember was crushed. She knew that only thanks to her Cynder and Tremor were still alive, but she blamed herself for her mistake anyway.  
"Don't worry, sweetie." Flame cuddled his mate.  
"Do you think Candice would let him die without a fight?" Stella smiled, while trying to cheer up her friend.  
"You know, the first time I heard his story, I could swear, he's immortal." Infernus said and all the dragons smiled, even Ember forced herself to do it. Thanks to all the three of them, she watched ill dragons with not sorrow, but hope.  
"Flame, do you believe that Spyro and Candice will be back in time?" She asked, still unsure.  
"They will, sweetheart. They will."

"Candice?" Both dragons were flying without even a moment of pause for two days already. They were hungry, sleepy and exhausted. The white dragoness looked like she would fall asleep any second, but she was still flying.  
"Something happened, Spyro?" She jerked her head to him, a bit surprised. No one, even Sparx, did say a word for hours.  
"Do you trust him?" asked Spyro.  
"Douten?" She guessed. Purple dragon nodded. "I think... yes. He helped us after all. And also gave information."  
"Well, I have bad feelings about him. He doesn't like Tremor, but he helped us so willingly. He was a bit too unnatural for me." Sparx said. "Seriously, something's wrong here. Like he didn't tell us the whole truth."  
"I feel this same way." Spyro admitted.  
"He did his best to help us." The ice guardian denied. "Though it isn't much, he did, what he could." Candice watched them with disbelief. She expected Spyro to be more trustful.  
"Yeah, but still, I have bad feelings about that guy." Sparx wasn't going to give up on that thought.  
"You know, in that tower...I mean breaking into it...That was crazy." Candice knew she couldn't persuade them both, so she changed the subject of the conversation.  
"I haven't thought I would do something like that." Spyro admitted.  
"Neither me. That was good teamwork." Then the dragons laughed quietly. "Maybe we should fight together more often, huh?" She smiled, when sudden blow of wind made her lose balance. Exhausted dragoness barely made it to keep flying.  
"Candice, if you want to rest..." Spyro suggested.  
"No, we have no time for that."  
"Alright." He agreed. He thought in exactly this same way as she did. Then somebody appeared from the shadow in front of the dragons. Candice and Spyro stopped in the air and watched the newcomer with unhidden annoyance.  
"So it's you. Again." The white dragoness hissed angrily.

"Hey, look where we are!" Zealous shouted. Three youngsters were staying right in this same place, where Brute attacked them several days earlier.  
"This place gives me creeps." Sierra looked at the trees, where the wyvern had been hidden.  
"Maybe we should go back to Torch and Zap. I heard they were ready to leave the hospital any moment." Twins agreed with Zealous's suggestion. They started walking back, when a strange voice started speaking to them. "Stay here, youngsters!" It was strange, but frightfully familiar. They knew, that they heard it. And knew, that it was at exactly this same place.  
"Torch? Zap? That's not funny!" The ice dragoness shouted to the source of a mysterious voice. Devilish laugh reached the three youngsters. It made their blood run cold.  
"Do you mean that yellow hatchling who was trying to run away, when I killed him?" Dragonesses' eyes grew wide.  
"What? You're lying! Other dragons would protect him!" Only Tundra was able to speak.  
"We killed a hatchling silently and attacked six dragons sitting in one room. They had no chance against us. They weren't even prepared and two of them were sleeping. They didn't even notice when they died." The three hatchlings couldn't see the newcomer's devilish smile, but they felt, he was telling the truth. He had no reason to lie.  
"No..." All the dragonesses felt, their eyes became wet, soon the first tear fell. They couldn't stop them, falling down their cheeks.  
"Now, my friends will take care of the purple dragon and the ice guardian." At first, Zealous wanted to attack the enemy, but she stopped herself, as she remembered Torch fighting against Crue. "I will give you a chance to save your lives. Do you see that door to the big tower? If you get there in ten seconds, I'm not going to chase you."  
"You..."  
"Ten seconds from...now!" Zealous, Sierra and Tundra jumped in the air without a second of hesitations. They were flying faster than they expected they could. So much of their minds were in their heads, but now they had only one thought: to survive. Their blood pressure suddenly spiked and their hearts and lungs were working two times faster than normally. Seconds were passing and the entrance was getting closer and closer. When they flew to the building, the first thing they did was looking behind them. But there was nobody.  
"We made it...we made it." All three dragonesses sighed with relief. But then, they understood, what had happened. The guardians were dead. They all were dead. The three youngsters started crying. But after ten minutes, they decided, that they couldn't stay there for eternity.  
"We have to go to the hospital room. Maybe somebody survived."  
"Zealous..." Ice dragoness tried to oppose.  
"Tundra, let's go there. If they all are dead, I want at least to see them once more." Sierra and Zealous looked at Tundra. The ice dragoness didn't like this idea. It wasn't safe.  
"Alright." She finally admitted. Three youngsters started walking to upper levels. They were sneaking trying not to make any noise, when somebody tweaked Zealous's hinder leg.  
"Torch?" All three youngsters couldn't believe, they saw the fire breather. "When did you wake up?"  
"An hour ago. Zap woke up too and we've been looking for you. What's wrong?" He asked, seeing their tears.  
"They all are dead." The purple dragoness stated sadly.  
"What are you talking about, girls?" He watched them, like he hadn't understood them.  
"Wyverns attacked." Sierra barely could speak. She still was in shock and tears were still falling. "They killed them all. We thought, that you're dead too." Torch looked at dragonesses and hoped that it was just a cruel joke. They would be really happy to say that it's not true, but they couldn't.  
"So...Where are we going?" He knew, that if he will start crying, they all will lose last spark of hope, but he couldn't stop tears.  
"We decided to see them." Tundra answered an unsaid question.  
"Yes, it's good idea." Torch admitted. He accepted this all surprisingly calmly, even for himself. Four dragons continued their journey. They felt, that the loss was overwhelming. It happened so quickly, unexpectedly. They were too young for this. Five years old hatchlings felt that somebody just stole whole happiness of their lives. They were four souls left for their own. Torch thought, how ironic were his words from last week: "There will be nobody to help us."  
"We're here." Zealous stated, interrupting silence. All of them started fearing as they stood in front of a big metal door. They were scared to see, what was behind it. Nobody was ready to open the gate.  
"I will do it." Torch got to the gate, closed eyes, took deep breath and pushed it strongly. Then four hatchlings saw them. A simple frozen tear fell at the floor and turned into millions fragments.

"Why are you here, Atroz?" Three persons were standing at the ground and watching carefully every enemy's movement. Wyvern had one advantage, oppositely to them, he was sleeping for last night.  
"I'm not going let you deliver that antidote!"  
"Spyro, get antidote to Warfang, I'll fight him." Candice stood before her friend. She was exhausted and weakened after several days of not sleeping, but she could take care of him anyway.  
"Just don't die." Spyro nodded and jumped in air. While the purple dragon was flying above the wyvern, enemy charged fireball and shot it in dragon's belly. That attack was easily countered with an ice spike. Candice quickly got to Atroz and stung at his face with her tailblade. Enemy knew that attack was coming so he jumped back, but it wasn't his lucky day. He was minimally too slow. The ice dragoness glanced with disgust at vitreous humor from wyvern's eye on her tail. She watched the wyvern, holding his left eye with pain, to don't let white and red liquid flow. But there was nothing, he could save.  
"Damn you, bitch! My eye!" He attacked with stream of fire. Candice jumped in the air and shot at his head several bullets. Wyvern rolled at the side and started flying higher not to let her have a high ground. Three fire shots were flying into Candice, but she countered them with breath attack. Because of that blow, around her appeared dense steam.  
"I've been training this attack especially for you, dragon. How are you feeling now, when you can't see a thing?" While flying, he was still pressing paw, to the eye that he had already lost.  
"I know, how will you feel, after I get you." She shot several ice spikes in the source of voice and flew away from the white cloud. When she noticed enemy, it was already too late. He attacked her from down, hit her chest by head and turned her with back to the earth. Then he hit her in chest this same way, this time by diving. He started falling down with her from almost fifty meters. Atroz was going to smash her at the ground. She tried to release herself, but he blocked her paws and didn't even react at her breath attacks hitting his back. Half of a second before hitting the ground, he jumped away so only she was crushed at ground with great speed. Candice was barely conscious and her back terribly hurt. She was unable to do anything. Wing was broken in several places and she surely had a lot of internal injuries. The wyvern went slowly to barely conscious Candice and easily attached her limbs to trees with strong metal ropes, so she couldn't move any of them and she was lying at her back. It took him only several seconds.  
"I love those strings. Now I can do terrible things to you. I'll pay you back for all you've done." He suggestively touched her hips with his tail and ice dragoness's eyes grew wide as she understood him. Wyvern just grinned.  
"You're sick! I will kill you, if you even touch me!"  
"I already did it and you can't do a thing." Then Candice shot an ice spike in Atroz's face. He dodged it with one move of head, hit her face brutally and tied her mouth also. "As I said, now I can do terrible things to you. But... at the start we should do something less painful. Have you ever heard a dictum 'an eye for an eye'?" Then he took from his gauntlet a long needle. "First, I will get my revenge for the loss of an eye." He softly touched her eyelid with a talon. "Next I will take my revenge for interrupting kidnap." Then he touched her underbelly with this same talon. "I will torture you in ways, you can't even imagine." Then he laughed devilishly and Candice tried to release herself. But there was no use, ropes were too strained. "And last act of the Venganza..." Now his talon touched her throat. "The death. As would say Icey, Muerto..." He sighed nostalgically. He missed times when Icey was his teacher. The ice dragoness hissed angrily. "Get ready for unimaginable pain, Candice!" The wyvern laughed devilishly. Then one of ropes broke releasing Candice's left arm. She hit Atroz, broke line at her mouth and shot spreads of ice in his face. Next punched him strongly in the chest. While he was laying on ground, Candice released herself quickly and jumped away from him. Then, the wyvern stood up. Ice didn't kill him, but torn off scales from whole left side of his face. His muscles would be easily seen, if blood wouldn't covering it. Candice looked at her enemy. She felt only hatred and need to kill him. Atroz started flying and when ice dragoness tried to do this same, she fell at the ground with terrible pain. Wyvern shot a fireball and Candice shielded herself with an ice. She was trying to shot enemy down with ice, while he was flying higher, than she could catch him. Then wyvern's wings covered with an sheet of ice and he fell at the ground. The ice guardian shot a volley of ice spikes, Atroz riposted with a stream of fire, creating a giant wave of steam. They both jumped away from it to avoid attack by surprise. Candice shot an ice spike and then felt terrible, paralyzing pain in the chest. She fell at ground and tried to stand up, but she couldn't. Atroz smiled and shot at her fireball. The ice dragoness barely dodged it, rolling at left. She couldn't stand up, whole her chest seemed to burn with the thundering pain.  
"So, the crush I've caused is a bit troublesome, isn't it?" While she was trying to get up, he went to her and punched her side, making her lay at her back. She felt, that warm blood started flowing at whole her side. She tried to attack him with front paws, but the wyvern easily blocked blow and hit her face with his head. He was staying over her and laughing. She wanted to kick him, but he blocked it again with hinder leg.  
"It would hurt like hell, if you would make it with that blow." He admitted. Then he took needle in his paws and approached it to her eye.  
"I think, that we should start our little game." He took needle up and it started slowly getting down to her eye. It was getting closer at every second. She closed eyes involuntarily, like eyelid would change a thing. When a needle was only twenty centimeters from her, she heard a loud explosion and the wyvern jumped away from her.  
"You..." He couldn't believe, who interfered his fight. Candice opened eyes and saw him.  
"Spyro!" Then Atroz shot a fireball at ice dragoness. Spyro protected her with earth and wyvern started running away, disappearing in forest. The purple dragon didn't even try to chase after him.  
"Are you alright?" Spyro was really worried about her.  
"Spyro, where is antidote?" That was only thing, Candice cared about.  
"It's a long story. I have to take you from here. We have to find a safe place to spend night."  
"Where's antidote?" She repeated her question.  
"You should rest now."  
"But..."  
"Candice, you should rest. Just sleep this night and tomorrow, I'll explain you everything." He said it with warm smile, but it sounded like an order. The ice guardian just nodded and closed her eyes. She was too weak to oppose.  
"I need to sleep." Spyro looked at her and judged her state. She had a broken wing, and was bleeding in several places, there probably were internal injures. She lost a lot of blood.  
"Please, don't say that you're dying."  
"Don't worry. Tremor won't get rid of me so easily." Candice's voice was very weak, it barely was a whispered. Spyro forced himself to smile. "I'm just tired and need a little sleep, fine?." Candice closed her eyes. "Good night, Spyro." She tried to smile too, but she was too exhausted.  
"Good night, Candice. Just don't die."


	8. Relief

Chapter 8. "Relief"

Four hatchlings: Sierra, Tundra, Zealous and Torch, were staying at the gate of the hospital room and couldn't believe their eyes. They were alive. They all were alive! All the four ran into the room and started cuddling the shocked dragons. Torch ran to his parents, three dragonesses jumped to Tremor and Cynder lying in their beds and Stella and Zap, who were sitting in front of the sleeping dragons. All the four youngsters were crying with tears of joy.  
"Girls, what happened to you?" Zap didn't understand what and why they were doing.  
"We thought you were all dead, Zappy!" The young dragon ignored the fact how Sierra called him. He was too surprised that even Torch was crying. Zealous started describing what had happened while cuddling her mother.  
"There was a wyvern...like the last time. He...He said that his friends had killed you all. He described it...We couldn't believe it, so we went here..."  
"It's alright kids, you're safe." Stella watched all the youngsters. "You were really lucky that he didn't attack you."  
"Yes. Don't worry, we're all here." Ember whispered, while cuddling her son.  
"Where is Zap's dad?" Torch was the first to notice that somebody was missing.  
"He flew from Warfang to find Spyro and Candice. They are tired so he will take the antidote from them and deliver it much faster than they could." Stella was explaining to them, when a white spike flew through the window and stuck to the wall several centimeters from Flame's face. There was some paper with a message. All the dragons watched it surprised. The fire guardian took a needle and started reading a description from the sheet of paper. Flame's eyes grew big as he was reading it.  
"Zealous, Sierra, Tundra, it's the message to one of you, but I'm not sure, who. Do you want me to read it? I warn you, you will not like it." All the three youngsters nodded without any hesitations. "Alright. So, I'm reading: 'This day I proved you something, a little beauty dragoness. I proved you that I will find you everywhere. I can easily tell you, where you and your friends are. I can appear right behind you, when there is nobody to look after you, when I can kidnap you without making even the slightest noise. Someday I will do it, but it's not time yet, it's still too soon. But don't worry. I won't wait for eternity. It will happen, we all know it and you just can't change it. This is my prophecy. The fire of oblivion will consume your mind and clear it from the sign of your ghastly past. Brute, Sexto Vengantimo."  
No one could say a word. Zealous, Tundra and Sierra looked at each other. They had no idea, who was the target. Each of them just wished it wasn't her. The fire breather noticed how scared they were.  
"Don't think about this now, girls. Soon Infernus will be back with antidote and everybody will be alright." He assured them with a slight smile. "And we'll protect you from him."  
"Yeah, come on everybody, we will race around Warfang!" The purple dragoness suggested enthusiastically. All the youngsters followed Zealous, who'd already left the hospital room. They left all their worries behind just like this, much to adults' releif. They didn't want to care about anything. Not yet.

"Candice, wake up!" It was almost night and Candice still was sleeping. Spyro was really worried if she was alright. She had taken serious damage during that fight. She needed a rest, but they couldn't stay at that field for too long. They had to find some place to sleep. He took Candice carefully on his back, ready to go. Then, he reminded himself about Cynder and Tremor, who were in exactly this same situation several days earlier. The purple dragon started flying and looking for a safe place for a night. He noticed, that Sparx was waving to him and pointing him some place beneath them. Spyro sighed with relief. Just in time, it had just started raining.

Everybody was waiting in the hospital room. The tension was almost palpable. All the dragons were wondering, if Infernus would be back before Tremor woke up. Most worried about that were obviously Sierra and Tundra. Then the door opened. There appeared a red dragon with a small bottle of a gold elixir.  
"They have to drink it." Infernus started explaining. "Spyro told me that it was for only one person, but they'd decided to give half of it to Tremor and Cynder." All the dragons watched him surprised. They guessed that was very risky. Ember took the elixir and smelled it. She smiled gently giving everybody hope.  
"It's really intensive, so I think it will be enough." She gave both ill dragons half a bottle of the medicine. Later she gave Cynder a liquid, which had to wake her up. There was no point in keeping her asleep any longer. After half an hour, both sleeping dragons woke up, almost at this same moment. Everybody sighed with relief, when they saw that they were not choking anymore.  
"What...What happened? I feel like I've been sleeping for a week." Tremor looked around, completely dumbstruck, as all the dragons burst out with a loud laugh. Sierra and Tundra jumped at their father and started nuzzling him. Zealous cuddled to Cynder, who was even more surprised by this all. She glared at all the dragons with an asking look. Then Ember asked them, what'd happened, when they were sleeping.  
"So where's Spyro?" The black dragoness asked.  
"He and Candice haven't come back yet." Ember explained her.  
"I will search for them." Cynder decided and quickly stood up from her bed, though Ember tried to refuse her that.  
"I'm coming with you, Cynder." As Tremor said that, Zealous, Sierra and Tundra stood in front of them.  
"We're coming too." The twins smiled warmly and watched the earth guardian with a pleading look.  
"No problem, but we will be flying really fast, so we will carry you." Tremor explained to them.  
"I understand that you're going too?" Cynder looked at her daughter, who nodded joyfully.  
"So let's go!" All the five dragons flew away from Warfang the fastest they could.

"You tried to do...what?!" Sable couldn't believe what Atroz had just said. Atroz just rolled his eyes, he had already had enough of explanations.  
"Do we have to talk about this again? Three years ago you interfered with my meeting with those three sexy dragonesses who you killed. Now, Spyro interrupted my Venganza. It becomes annoying!" Atroz complained.  
"Sexy dragonesses? One of them was five!" Sable shouted with indignation.  
"And you killed her. That's why nothing happened. I didn't do anything sick back then."  
"But you meant to. Now answer my question. What were you about to do?!" Cuarto was shouting.  
"I told you, I wanted to half-blind her, torture and kill."  
"You know, what I mean! Raping a dragoness in the middle of the fight?! Don't you think it's sick?!" Cuarto was really pissed off.  
"Well...maybe, a little." The wyvern grinned.  
"That's enough." Sable took one of his katanas, quickly jumped to Atroz and touched his throat with the sword's point. "There's no place for scum like you in any society. Why shouldn't I kill you?"  
"Because I refuse that." Primero interfered before somebody got hurt.  
"But Primero... A thing like him doesn't deserve to live! In every tribe, every society, he would be sentenced to death or banishment for such bestiality!"  
"That's why I'm with you, guys. Nobody else wanted me, but Primero." Atroz smirked. Sable felt his blood was boiling.  
"Stop it, Sable. We've lost one Vengantimo. We can't start killing each other." Vixen said and looked at her best friend. She hated this situation and even more she hated Atroz, but she knew that she had to control herself. The half-blinded wyvern grinned again.  
"Hide your sword, Sable. And you Vixen, thanks for..." Atroz's words were interrupted by a strong punch in the face.  
"I protected you, but I would prefer to kill you, so don't even try to thank me. And do something about the left side of your face." The black dragoness glared at him with disgust. "I can't watch it."  
"She's right. It's hideous." Icey joined conversation, but using wyvern's, not dragon's langauge.  
"Don't forget which language you have to use, Icey." Primero reminded him.  
"No. I'm not going to use that cursed race's language just because someone tells me to do it. I hate all dragons just because they exist and I hate you, Primero, for this." The mutant wyvern pointed his arms and wings. "And Atroz..." He glared at the fire breather. "If you copy any other of my movements, I'll kill you." He said coldly, like always. "This time, I'm not kidding." He added, before he straightened his wings and flew away. Nobody even tried to stop him. Primero just sighed.  
"Sable, talk to him later. After all, you two are good friends." Espejo suggested and Sable nodded, agreeing with this idea. "You know, Icey was wrong. I think Atroz looks much better now. Now, I have to watch only half of his ugly face." Espejo looked at a peeled off skin of his teammate and grinned. All the wyverns started laughing. Vixen just smiled slightly.  
"So we're close to the city already. Where's Brute?" Atroz quickly changed the subject of their conversation.  
"He's waiting in the northern city with Decimo and Octava." Sable looked at him scornfully.  
"Sable...You are such an emotional crybaby..." Atroz couldn't understand Sable's anger.  
"I'm not emotional! It's just..."  
"Enough." Primero interrupted. "You're dismissed."

"Are we already there?" Zealous looked at her mother. Cynder rolled her eyes.  
"No..."  
"How long will we..."  
"I don't know."The black dragoness replied with weariness. Zealous started thinking what she should ask about her mother.  
"Are we there yet?" Cynder took a deep breath. She tried to be calm, but it was really hard for her after three hours spent answering her daughter's constant questions.  
"Cynder, check this out!" Tremor landed on a field with his daughters. There was a lot of burned ground and a crater, like somebody had collided with the earth there. Big part of the ground was red with blood. There were also a wyvern's scales.  
"She was fighting a wyvern and got seriously injured." Cynder stated. Tremor watched her surprised.  
"Why do you think so?"  
"This place." She pointed at a big blood stain and ropes surrounding it. "It's dragon's blood. There are ropes, so she was probably tied to trees." Cynder looked at the ground carefully. "She was probably lying on her back." Tremor swallowed hard and looked at the youngsters. They were really worried about their mother. "She spent some time in this position..." Then Cynder started glaring at the ropes. She noticed, that only one was broken, the other ones were cut off. "But one of the ropes broke, Candice cut off the rest of them. I guess, she released herself and made a wyvern run away." All the dragons sighed with relief. Then Tundra called everybody from the forest.  
"Look here, it seems like somebody walked this way!" In no time the small ice dragoness was on a path, which was used not much time ago. All the dragons started following to stop after several minutes in front of a big cave. They noticed that someone had lastly made his way through the dense ivy, most probably with sharp talons.  
"No doubts about that, it's here." Cynder stated. All the dragons got inside the cave. There were lanterns everywhere, so it was light. At the end of it there was a circular room, it was about ten meters in diameter. Spyro was sitting in the center of it and behind him was lying Candice. The purple dragon turned his head to see his guests.  
"Cynder, Zealous!" He said, surprised.  
"Spyro!" All the three dragons started cuddling. Tremor, Sierra and Tundra went to the ice guardian, who was woken up by the sudden noise.  
"Tremor! Kids! What are you doing here?" Candice asked completely dumbstruck at the moment.  
"Thanks ancestors, sweety, I was so scared about you." Tremor confessed. Four dragons were lying close to each other.  
"Spyro, let's go outside." Cynder suggested.  
"Yes, they surely want to be alone." After the three dragons had left the cave, they lay down before it and started watching stars.  
"Daddy, what happened? Why weren't you back so much time?" Zealous asked.  
"Well, when we were flying to the city we met a mutant wyvern. His name was Sable and he had separate wings and arms, like those, who came to Warfang, but he was a bipedal one. He told us a lot of interesting news about those three, who had attacked Warfang, I'll tell you all this, when we are back in there. After two days of flying, we were in the eastern city. Guards didn't want to let us in to the elders, so we just broke in."  
"You broke in?!" The black dragoness jerked her head back, watching him with surprise.  
"Yeah. Me and Candice. That was crazy, but we had to do it. We had no time to lose, if we were to save you and Tremor."  
"That's...sweet." She didn't know what to say.  
"What was next, daddy?" Zealous asked curiously.  
"We found the alchemist, who Flame had been talking about. He told us that wyverns had stolen some of his equipment. That's where they have all of it from. He gave us the antipoison, but he said that was enough for only one person. We decided to share it. When we were coming back, a wyvern attacked us. It was the same one who had almost kidnapped you, Zealous." Spyro added and the purple dragoness swallowed hardly. "Candice said that I should deliver the elixir and she would fight him. Right after that I met Infernus. He took the antidote and I came back to help Candice with her fight. When I found her, she was in a bad state, so I made him run away and took care of Candice with medical leaves which I had taken before we left Warfang. And now, you found us."  
"There was antipoison for only one of us?" Cynder asked.  
"Yes, but looks like it was enough for both of you."  
"Looks like." The black dragoness grinned warmly. Then Spyro's smile disappeared. "What's wrong?" She asked.  
"That wyvern, who they killed, told Flame that their target was two females. What, if he was talking about you and Zealous?" He asked.  
"Don't worry, daddy. I'm not scared." Zealous said after several seconds of silence.  
"Yes, Spyro. I'm not scared." Cynder assured him, while nuzzling her mate.  
"But I am. I can't lose you. I couldn't live without any of you." He watched them with worries filling his heart. Then both dragonesses kissed him in cheeks.  
"Don't worry, daddy. Everything will be alright." Zealous promised him.

Meanwhile, Candice and Tremor were conversing silently. Both Sierra and Tundra were already sleeping. Though only a week had passed since their last meeting, they had a lot of things to tell each other.  
"You know, there were flowers at Gaia's grave." Candice said.  
"Good to know that they still remember about her." Tremor smiled sadly.  
"Yeah. We met your friend in the city. He's an elder now." Candice changed the subject of their conversation.  
"Ray? He became an elder?"  
"He's also an elder, but I don't mean him. There was also Douten. He gave us the antidote for you." The earth guardian stopped smiling. He was thinking about something intensively.  
"Douten, huh? And I've been wondering, how you got the antipoison..." He said to himself silently. "Did you tell him that it was for me and someone else?"  
"Yes." She nodded.  
"But you didn't tell him it was Cynder?" Candice was quite surprised. She didn't expect he would guess such a detail.  
"Yes. Is there something I don't know?" She asked curiously. Tremor sighed.  
"He hates me. Douten told you it was only enough for one person, because he was sure that Spyro, as a purple dragon, would save only the person who he cares about at most and hoped it wasn't me. But thanks ancestors, Spyro is just too good-natured to let me die. That damn alchemist risked another dragon's life just to kill me." He hissed the last words with hatred and scorn.  
"Maybe he really had only one antidote?" She suggested.  
"No, impossible. I know him too well. After he invents a poison, he makes an antipoison that would be enough for half of the city. Always." Candice couldn't believe what she heard. She thought that Douten liked Tremor.  
"Why does he want your death?"  
"Much time ago we were the best friends. I, Gaia and Douten. We all had one dream: to become the earth guardian. When the elders chose me and my sister to be candidates for guardians, he hated us. Now Gaia is gone and if I were too, he would have an opportunity to become a guardian." Tremor explained. Candice hissed angrily.  
"That son of a..."  
"You see, Douten's parents were killed by Cynder in front of his eyes." The earth guardian interrupted her. "If he had heard that the antidote was for her too, he wouldn't have helped you at all."  
"What?" The ice guardian asked with surprise.  
"He's really vindictive type of a dragon." Tremor explained. "That's why he didn't become the guardian."  
"Would he let you both die?" Candice still couldn't believe that.  
"Yeah, I'm sure about this." Tremor yawned deeply and smiled with irony. After almost a week in bed, he was still sleepy. "It's late already. Goodnight Candy. You should rest."  
"Goodnight, sweetie." Candice closed her eyes, but she couldn't really sleep. She started thinking how lucky they were that Cynder and Tremor were still alive. One word more and that alchemist would have let them both die. That was so irrational. Some time ago they were the best friends and now he would simply kill him? And how could he feel such hatred to Cynder? It wasn't her fault at all. Malefor controlled her and she couldn't oppose his orders. She felt that all that world got mad. Polite deadly enemies, sick wyverns, vindictive alchemists... She didn't even try to imagine what could be next.


	9. Guests

Chapter 9. "Guests"

"We're here." The lightning dragon stated. "I thought Warfang was much closer to our city. Didn't you, Viola?" he said to the ice dragoness standing right next to him.  
"Yeah." She watched the top of the highest tower with admiration. "It's so big. I've never seen a city like that, Ray." It still was hard to believe for her, how big Warfang was.  
"Your first time here?" Ray asked with surprise.  
"Yes. And yours?"  
"I've been here twice already. Once, at the time of choosing the fire guardian and the second time, several months ago. Both times, I was there with your father and other elders of the city." The two dragons were slowly walking across city, nobody even noticed them. "Since your last meeting with Flame twelve years have passed, with Tremor ten."  
"I wonder how much they have changed." Viola said, but the lightning elder replied with a loud laugh.  
"Flame surely grew up, but Tremor? Not at all. He remained a reckless and stupid idiot, just like he used to be." Even if Ray said those words as a friend, without offending the earth guardian, Viola watched him resentfully.  
"He's not like that!" Ray glared at her with a meaningful look. "Alright, maybe he is like that a little, but still, it's not a reason to..." They heard beating of wings and silent laugh.  
"You haven't changed at all, Ray, Viola." Tremor appeared from nowhere and landed before them. "Long time no see." He smiled and all the three greeted each other very cheerfully. "You know, you make a perfect couple." The earth guardian noticed with a smirk. They both rapidly blushed and seeing where that was coming, Ray quickly refused.  
"Wait, wait, we're not a couple! Viola's still single, but I actually have a mate." Tremor smiled watching embarrassed faces of theirs.  
"So who is she?" asked the earth guardian with curiosity.  
"Lyrian." Tremor burst out with loud laugh and wiped out tears of amusement.  
"Her?!" He asked after several seconds of ignoring the annoyed look of the lightning dragon. "I thought, you hated each other! I remember, how she swore that she would kill you at any opportunity, she had."  
"Not once, Tremor, not once..." Viola added. "You should have seen him, when Lyrian finally got him. He was squeaking like a little dragoness." She said with smirk. Ray sent her a hateful look. Why did all ice dragonesses he knew loved to turn his pride into pieces?  
"As I heard, I can say exactly this same about you and Candice." The lightning dragon riposted.  
"That's not this same, we couldn't stand each other for almost one and half year, not one and half decade."  
"Time isn't the point here, Tremor." Viola decided that Ray may need her help a little. "Stages in both your relationships are this same."  
"Anyway, is there anything new in the city?" Tremor changed the subject, before Viola would say anything more.  
"Yeah, but let's call guardians and tell it all to them." Viola answered. "I want Flame and Gaia to hear..." Ray poked her and the dragoness understood her mistake. "I'm... I'm sorry. I've completely..."  
"That's fine." Tremor answered. "Let's go."

All the guardians greeted the newcomers warmly. The first dragon to speak was Flame.  
"So, what's the news?" He was very impatient to hear it.  
"What was first?" Ray asked himself. "Do you remember Glitter and Karin?" Flame and Tremor nodded, but the remaining guardians had no idea, who he was talking about. "When wolves attacked the eastern city, they were killed, while protecting Ardora." Both guardians sighed sadly. Then, an idea came to Tremor's head.  
"They had a daughter, right?" Viola nodded.  
"Yeah, Tris. She survived and now, Ardora raises her as a daughter." Viola explained.  
"Later, after the death of Infernus..." At that moment, Stella glared at her mate, dumbstruck. It took her a while, to understand, that Ray meant Flame's grandfather. "...Ardora became an elder of the city." Ray yawned deeply. He hasn't slept for a very long time while flying.  
"So, what kind of elder is she?" asked Flame with curiosity.  
"Ambitious. And an undisputed leader." Ray replied.  
"How have you become elder?" asked Tremor. "I thought your father was going to..."  
"Well, we haven't had any contact for several years, so I'm not surprised that you don't know, but father died almost five years ago." The lightning dragon said about this surprisingly lightly. "Since that happened, I'm an elder."  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Tremor said, but Ray just smiled.  
"That's fine. I still mourn him in my heart, but I have to live on. I can't cry every time I hear his name."  
"Douten is still mad at me, huh?" Tremor asked curiously. The ice dragoness nodded.  
"Otherwise, he would come here as well."  
"Well, I think, it's time for the point of our visit now." Ray stated. "We're here, to deliver you all an invitation to the eastern city." All the guardians watched a bit surprised at each other.  
"When?" Ember asked.  
"As quickly as you can." Ray replied. "There's something very important we need to talk about. So, when could you come?" He asked. "Of course, I am not telling you to do it instantly. After that attack of wyverns, you surely need to get over."  
"Two weeks?" Stella suggested a term. All the guardians nodded.  
"We need to heal all the wounds, especially Candice, so it's the best time." Spyro said. Viola nodded with understanding.  
"So, see you in two weeks. We'll be going now." Ray stated. Viola looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped herself.  
"Aren't you going to stay any longer?" Tremor asked with disappointment.  
" We'll meet in two weeks, so don't worry. And I assure you, you'll spend in our city quite a long time, so you won't complain about lack of time to see us. Now, we need to hurry. I'm needed in the eastern city." Despite this argument, guardians started persuading Ray and Viola to stay for several days. Both of them finally agreeing, certain that the eastern city would make it somehow for few days more without them. They promised to remain there at least for three days more. Once that case was solved, guardians focused back on their invitation.  
"What do you think about this?" Candice asked. "Invited to the city, where Venganza tells us to come. I doubt it's just a coincidence."  
"Me too." Stella agreed.  
"I don't think that we'll discover anything new by sitting here and wondering." Tremor said.  
"Yeah, let's just relax for two weeks and see what happens, when we come to the eastern city." Cynder suggested.  
All the guardians agreed with her. They weren't going to spend probably the last peaceful moments worrying about their future. Quite the opposite, they had completely different plans.

Brute was flying for two days already without even a moment of a pause. He needed to hurry up. Leaving his message in Warfang wasn't planned, so if he took some rest now, he would be late. The wyvern tried to forget about her and his plans about that dragoness, but he couldn't. "We will meet again soon. It's my prophecy. You can run, but you cannot escape. It's unquestionable." He whispered to himself, when he saw two males. They were waiting for him. One of them was blue and the other was black. He landed in front of them.  
"So you are Mar and Fuerzo." Brute didn't ask, but stated. The blue one bobbed his head.  
"Yeah. And you are Sexto."  
"Yes, we are. Let's get to the city."  
"Follow us." Both dragons glared at the wyvern contemptuously and started flying. They were flying so fast that Brute doubted, if they would wait for him, if something happened. He doubted, if they would at least notice that.  
"How will I get into the city?" Brute asked curiously. They didn't even turn their heads to look at him. He asked again after a minute, but they didn't react. Impatience started growing in the wyvern. Then, the dragons landed. They were about one kilometer from the city. They opened gates to a tunnel, which was built inside a small hill.  
"This is the entrance to the Teria." Fuerzo informed. The wyvern went through a door and it got closed. There was total darkness. He was walking slowly, several times he stumbled over some metal things lying on the ground. After about one hour he found an exit. He pushed the door and closed his eyes, when intensive light reached them. He appeared to be in an abandoned house in the dragon city, Teria. Octava and Decimo, eighth and tenth Vengantimo, were already there. The only thing they could do now was waiting.

"Sable?" The lightning wyvern, who was sitting on the bank of the river, opened his eyes and jerked his head. He noticed a small black dragoness, Vixen. She sat right next to him.  
"Something's wrong?" asked Cuarto. She shook her head.  
"No, I've been just looking for you." She explained. "So, what are you doing?"  
"Thinking about this place. That's where we met the first time." Sable said. Vixen smiled with irony, but he had no idea, what had amused her so much. "Do you even remember that?" He asked.  
"How could I forget?" She replied.

Ten years earlier.

A roar of a waterfall was heard from not far away. An about fifteen-year old bipedal wyvern was running through a dense forest. It was very dark already, but he had good eyesight, so he hadn't collapsed, though at his state it was very hard for him. He couldn't make such a serious mistake, when enemies like them were chasing him. Suddenly the forest finished and there was only a cliff. In another situation it would have been perfect. He would have flown away. But both his wings were broken, while fighting wolves, who interrupted his hunting. If he were a dragon, even a feral one, that would be much easier fight. He would have used a breath attack to finish them. And there would have been somebody, who would have look for him, helped him in that fight. But there was nobody. He had never been given a chance to even get into the dragon city. As sentries said, he was just a wyvern, scum, who couldn't join their perfect society. Why were all dragons so racist? Then four wolves appeared from the forest. They took their swords and attacked him. The first one tried to sting him in the chest. The wyvern protected himself with his tailblade and killed the enemy with a single slash in his throat. He took the dead one's blade and shielded himself from another wolf's sword. He killed the second one this same way and took his sword. The two wolves, who were still alive, were seriously pissed off. Just one wyvern killed eight of their teammates, almost the whole squad, and he was only injured. Both wings broken, a lot of intensively bleeding wounds, but he still could breath, run and kill. Both wolves took swords above their heads and tried to slash the enemy. The wyvern protected himself with his swords a few centimeters above his head, pushed the enemy's blades above them and finished them cutting off their heads. Ten wolves weren't enough to kill him. He was safe. No... He was alive. But for what? He had no friends, he lost his whole family several years earlier. There was no reason for him to live. Then he felt dizzy. He dropped the swords and fell down onto the ground. Everything around him was in blood. And it didn't belong only to wolves. He tried to stand up, but he was too exhausted. Blood was dripping from all his wounds. Then he saw somebody hiding in the forest next to him, a small black dragoness.  
"Who...who are you?" the wyvern asked.  
"It doesn't matter." replied the male voice.  
"Dragon...or wyvern?"  
"It doesn't matter now."  
"Why are you here?"  
"Do you trust me, Sable?"  
"How do you know my name?" The wyvern asked, surprised.  
"It doesn't matter now." The wyvern rolled his eyes annoyed, hearing that answer. "Do you trust me?" The newcomer asked.  
"What?" The wyvern asked, he had no idea, what was going on.  
"Do you trust me, that I will save your life?"  
"Yes." He decided to risk. What more could be lost?  
"You're safe now. Close your eyes and everything will be alright."  
"But...wolves...There's a possibility that they are chasing me..."  
"It's not your problem anymore, Vengantimo."  
"How did you call me?"  
"You will understand that soon." The wyvern closed his eyes and fell asleep. The only thing he felt was a cold wind.


	10. Sign of the Past

Chapter 10. "Sign of the past"

The next two weeks passed very slowly for the wyverns. Brute, Octava and Decimo were spending almost the whole time hidden in a small house in the center of Teria. Sable, Tercera, Atroz and Segunda were training in a small underground hall. They were training how to fight in buildings and narrow corridors. This skill was meant to be really useful soon. Meanwhile, Primero was using his connections to find out what was happening in Warfang and eastern and northern cities.  
"Primero, has anything happened?" asked Sable. Primero sighed deeply, while watching the eastern city. It was so small from that point of view...  
"Tell Atroz that he will have to join Viento in the western city. He will need help there."  
"I see that you're worried about something." Cuarto noticed.  
"Indeed. In the northern city, there is some fire dragon, Flush. He's a detective and in the last two months he collected quite a lot of information about Venganza. He still doesn't know what their point is, but discovered that we exist and it's much enough. But don't worry Sable, we will use him to get our targets."  
"Don't you think that's...risky?" Sable obviously didn't like the idea of involving more dragons in this.  
"Yes, it is, but I've planned everything already."  
"Will that Flush be our ally?" It was hard for Sable to believe that. After all, he was finding dragons very honorable.  
"That is the plan."  
"You know that dragons don't betray their race so easily."  
"Sable, trust me, I've known Flush for quite a long time." Primero replied. "He has one weak point."  
"Which is?" Sable asked curiously.  
"Fear. He's scared of death, coward ready to sacrifice even his best friend to survive. And so, he will do."

At this same time in Warfang, those two weeks were a time for rest. All hatchlings were playing various games, completely forgetting about the last events. Candice was lying in her bed for the whole first week, after that she started walking, running and finally flying, thanks to Ember's intensive efforts. Ice guardian's wing was still fragile, but there was no problem about flying. All the adult dragons were helping other dragons living in Warfang and moles in planting new trees in place of the burnt ones during the first week. The second week passed in just relax, without any incidents or worries. After that time, they decided that it was time to fly to the eastern city. Tremor and Flames wanted to see their friends and spend some time with them, before they would have to take up conversations about unknown project of the elders of the eastern city. They all, thirteen dragons, started their journey in the morning. Their travel proceeded calmly until the midday of the second day.  
Ember heard a quiet groan beneath her. The pink dragoness looked down but she didn't notice anything. Then, she heard someone crying.  
"Someone's beneath us. I'll check this out." Ember dove and disappeared in thousands of leaves. She landed and looked around. "Come on here!" All the dragons followed her. Most of the trees around them were burnt or frozen. Two dragons were lying on the ground, neither of them was moving. Ember crouched checked their state.  
"Are they alive?" asked Cynder with a worried voice. Ember nodded.  
"Yes, but they are in a critical state. That's strange, but they were hurt by the elements they're using." Indeed, the red male had his whole torso burnt and the ice dragoness's arms were pierced by small ice spikes. Then, Flame noticed some movement behind him. The fire breather walked around that place and looked around. There was hidden a small red dragoness. Her eyes were in tears, she was crying silently.  
"Come on here. You're safe." The fire guardian smiled warmly. She watched the guardian unsure what to do. Then she bobbed her head quickly, stood up and followed the red dragon. Then, he noticed that she was shaking with fear. Flame watched her with pity. The youngster glared at the dragons that Ember was healing.  
"Mom, dad!" She shouted and ran to them. She started crying loudly. The pink dragoness turned at her and smiled.  
"Don't worry, they'll be fine." Ember assured her. The lying fire breather cracked his eye and looked around. "You're very lucky, that we were around." Ember remarked. "And now, don't say a word, you're making healing harder."  
"Yeah, I guess, we're lucky indeed. What's your name, dragoness?"  
"Ember. I've already told you, you should save your words." She tried to persuade him.  
"Ember, I think, you should know what attacked us."  
"You're not helping me. You can tell us later."  
"There may be no other chance." The pink dragoness rolled her eyes. She knew he wouldn't give up and the less he spoke, it'd be better for him.  
"Alright, tell us then." All the guardians got closer to the fire breather.  
"That was a dragon, or something similar to a green dragon. He was using ice and fire at this same time. He was holding one element in one paw and the second one in the other." The fire breather made a pause to take a breath. That several seconds of silence gave all the dragons time to wonder how that was possible. "And I guess, that he's capable to use other elements as well. No matter what that thing was, you need to be careful. From what he said, he was searching for you. We're alive only because there appeared another, bipedal one, who stopped him." The fire breather closed his eyes and lost consciousness. Ember stood up.  
"I did all I could. We have to take them to the city." Tremor nodded and gently took the fire breather on his back. Spyro did this same with the ice dragoness, Ember took the youngster in her arms. "Let's go." The pink dragoness suggested. All the dragons jumped in the air. They were flying in silence, which was interrupted only once.  
"That's Venganza, right?" Infernus asked, Stella nodded.  
"No doubts about that. The bipedal one must have been that Sable." The lightning guardian admitted.

After about two hours they saw the first buildings. When sentries saw the critically wounded dragons, they showed them the way to hospital. Medics quickly took care of them. When the guardians were leaving the building, eight dragons were waiting in front of them , one of them was just a hatchling. Spyro lowered his voice. "Five of them are elders. But who are those ice dragonesses?"  
"Viola and her sisters." Tremor and Flames explained him simultaneously. Then Douten noticed Tremor. He obviously was completely dumbstruck.  
"It's great pleasure to see you in our city. Let me introduce myself and the elders." The alchemist started speaking after several seconds. "My name is Douten. Here are the elders of the city: Ray of lightning, Lady Ardora of fire, lady Itara of ice and Blizzard of earth. And those are Blizzard's daughters, Viola, Froza and Ciri." The young ice dragoness bowed slightly. It was the first time Spyro watched them carefully. Viola was at the age similar to the guardians. Almost the whole of her body was clearly azure. Her belly was a bit darker, her narrow and long tailblade and talons were white. She had no similarity to her father. Even her eyes weren't green like his, but pale blue. Her sisters had the same colors, but Froza was about five years younger and Ciri was eight or so.  
Then Spyro introduced himself and his friends the dragons started conversing. Tremor, Flames, Ray, Viola and Froza were talking about the old times, before Flame and Tremor left them. Spyro, Candice and Infernus were explaining to Itara what happened the last week and Stella and Ember were talking with Blizzard and Ardora. The hatchlings were joking with Ciri. Douten stood in front of Cynder.  
"Welcome, black dragoness." He smiled warmly, but Cynder noticed, there was something sham about his behavior.  
"All the pleasure is mine." She replied. "This city is so beautiful." Then she looked at his eye and noticed an awful scar covering it. "How did you get that scar?"  
"It's my...sign of the past. When I was a hatchling, an ape attacked me. Those were bad times. My parents were killed by Cynder, Terror of Skies." He sounded, as if he mentioned that accidentally. "Twenty years ago. I still remember that day. My mother shielded me with her own body. She was stabbed in the heart, so I could see Cynder's tailblade in my mother's back. Dad was fighting her so long, that we all, hundreds of dragons, who she was going to kill, could escape and hide. That was several years before she was defeated by Spyro. I lost whole my family back then." The black dragoness didn't know what to say. Again, her past hit her right in the face, when she thought that she had won that fight a years ago.  
"They were...good warriors and dragons. I'm...I'm sorry." That was all she could say.  
"I'm afraid that even the most honest apologies will not bring them back. It happened. You can't change or ignore it." The alchemist was enjoying that moment. Then Tremor noticed Cynder. She was so ashamed, she couldn't say a word. Her cheeks were blushing with embarrassment. Her lowered eyes were slowly becoming wet, but nobody saw it except the earth guardian.  
"Excuse me, I'll be back in a moment." Tremor left his company and stood right next to Cynder. "It's good to see you Douten!" He smiled in a silly manner.  
"Tremor! I see that you were lucky enough to be still alive. So who was that second poisoned dragon I helped?" Douten asked curiously.  
"You will be really happy and proud of yourself, because the antidote was enough for both of us. You saved me and Cynder!" The earth guardian said it with such voice, as if it was very good news for Douten. The elder couldn't say a word. Tremor smirked. He knew that even by hitting him he wouldn't hurt him so much.  
"That's... good news." The alchemist mumbled.  
"Yeah, very good news." Tremor admitted. All this time, he was speaking like he had no idea that Douten hated Cynder and him. But then, his voice changed. "I don't understand, why you are making our poor dragoness so sorrowful. All the things that happened during the war weren't her fault. She was corrupted. She hadn't been given a choice. Think about this, before you talk with her again." He was about to leave him, when some idea emerged in his head. "Oh...Right, I almost forgot about that." Douten looked at Tremor curiously. Then the earth guardian knocked him out with a powerful blow of a paw. It was so fast that the alchemist hadn't even twinkled. He was lying on the ground groaning. He spit out a broken tooth. Everybody turned to them surprised to see what had happened. "This is for risking Cynder's life to kill me!" Tremor hissed angrily.  
"Easy Tremor! Calm do...!" Douten, who was still lying on the ground tried to make him cool down.  
"Shut up!" Tremor interrupted him. All the dragons watched him so surprised, that no one interfered.  
"Why are you mad at me?! I'm sure, that's not Cynder is the cause of that!" Douten desperately tried to find a way to calm him down. "You think that I still hate Gaia because of some incident?! My flowers are lying on her grave..." That was the worst mistake Douten could make. Mentioning Gaia.  
"Don't even talk about my sister!" Then the earth guardian hit the alchemist right in the belly. Tremor's eyes became wet with tears.  
"I put flowers on her grave!" Douten repeated this sentence, as if it would change anything for the better.  
"Quit that crap, you..." Tremor shouted. He was about to attack him again, when Candice finally interfered.  
"Tremor, stop it." The first tear left Tremor's eyes. He looked in ice dragoness' eyes and flew away from everybody. Douten stood up, wiped blood from his lips and hid his smile. Then, he was knocked out again. This time, by Candice. "Are you proud of yourself now, Douten?! I don't think that talking about Gaia put him in a good mood!" Itara stood between her and Douten and watched the alchemist carefully.  
"Douten, I suggest you should go back to the tower and wait for all the elders there. We will talk about what happened later."  
"Understood." He turned away and flew in the direction of the center of the city. Candice was about to look for Tremor, when Viola called her.  
"Lady Candice, can I talk with you?"  
"Maybe later, please. I have to find..."  
"Tremor will be fine and besides, he wants to be alone for a moment as I guess." Viola noticed. Candice wanted to follow her mate immediately, but she knew that she was right.  
"Fine. We're this same age. Call me Candice." The ice guardian asked her. The azure dragoness nodded slightly.  
"Can I talk only with you?" She pointed at the dragons.  
"Sure...Let's take a walk." Candice and Viola started departing from the elders and guardians. When the dragonesses were alone, Viola sighed deeply. "What's on your mind?" Candice asked.  
"I heard that you met a bipedal wyvern." Viola started, a bit unsure, what to say.  
"Yes, so?"  
"What do you think about him? I mean the character." Candice started thinking about him.  
"He was really...courteous to us and it's hard to make him annoyed, even if that small dragoness tried her best."  
"So he hasn't changed at all." The ice dragoness smiled.  
"Do you know him?" Candice asked, a bit surprised.  
"I met him...once. Only once." Viola started blushing and refusing quickly.  
"Only once?" The guardian repeated, not believing her.  
"It's a long story." Viola explained evasively.  
"We have time," said Candice.  
"He saved me once and...he spent in my house a day. That's all." There obviously was something more, but the guardian didn't ask. Viola was such an untalented liar that guardian would feel awkward taking advantage of it.  
"I believe you. You don't have to refuse so intensively."  
"What do you think about him?" Viola quickly changed the subject of conversation.  
"If he and that dragoness weren't our enemies, I would even like them."  
"Yeah, it's hard to hate Sable." Viola smiled.  
"You seem to know him pretty well." Candice noticed. The ice dragoness blushed again.  
"He was very talkative, so I know a lot about him, but I can't tell anything about this anybody, even guardians. I promised him." She explained, avoiding ice guardian's sight.  
"I understand. Can I help do anything more for you?"  
"No, that's all that I want to know. Thank you. By the way, no worries about accommodation, lady Itara will show you later, where you will live from now. Goodbye, Candice." Viola said farewell to her.  
"Goodbye, Viola." Candice went back to her hatchlings, took them and started looking for her mate. She perfectly knew where he was. The cemetery. After five minutes she found him. He was sitting in front of Gaia's grave and crying silently.  
"Tremor? Are you alright?" The earth guardian jerked his head to see his family.  
"No. Nothing is alright."  
"Don't forget, that she's still with you. Even when she isn't with us anymore, she still looks after you."  
"Daddy, that was your sister, right?" Tundra looked at the grave curiously. Tremor smiled slightly.  
"Yes, my twin sister."  
"Was she like you?" Sierra jerked her head curiously. "What was she like?"  
"She was always smiling and making everybody around her smile too. Thanks to her I fell in love with Candice."  
"I thought you had always loved mommy." said Tundra, a bit dumbstruck.  
"Yeah, me too." Sierra said. Both adult dragons started laughing.  
"Right, you don't know that story yet. At the start, I and your mother hated each other from the bottom of the heart. Before her death, Gaia told me to be nicer to her. And then I fell in love with her."  
"I think we should go back to all, Tremor." suggested Candice.  
"Let's stay here for a few minutes longer."  
"Fine." All the four dragons were watching Gaia's memorial and four verses of text written there. Tears stopped falling down from Tremor's eyes and he started smiling gently. All he needed was to see this small grave once more. He finally found his peace of mind.

"Mommy?" Zealous and Spyro saw Cynder lying in bed in her room and crying silently.  
"What happened, sweetie?" Spyro glanced at his mate worried as he and his daughter cuddled the black dragoness.  
"Nothing."  
"When we were coming to the tower, you were almost crying," Tremor said that Douten had said something wrong to you I didn't want to ask you, because I felt that you needed to think about this... Tell me, what happened." He pleaded her.  
"Douten told me... the story of...his...his childhood." Because of the sorrow, she could barely speak. "A few years before I met you first, I...I killed...his parents." The purple dragon cursed in his mind. That alchemist knew, how to hurt Cynder.  
"It wasn't your fault. You were corrupted, you couldn't decide what to do." He tried to persuade her.  
"But I killed them! Every time I think that I forgot, it comes back! There's always something, that makes me remember it! Some...some..." Then she thought about Douten's words. " Sign of the past. An indelible, eternal sign, that every day will make me remember."  
"Don't say that, mom." Zealous asked her, while nuzzling her cheek.  
"Yeah, sweetie." Spyro confirmed his daughter's words. "Things like this happen sometimes, but you will forget. Trust me. You will forget." Cynder smiled gently as Spyro kissed her cheek.  
"I trust you."

Viola was flying to her house very fast. She was so excited that she couldn't wait to see if it's already there. She flew to her room through a balcony and looked at her desk, where she expected it to be. There it was; a small letter with one word written in dragon's scripture: "Viola". She opened it and started reading the message. After she had read the last word, she didn't know what to say. She was just wondering about this same thing, as always: how had he got to her house?


	11. Dragon who lost everything

Chapter 11. "Dragon who lost everything"

Before the evening Itara showed all the guests their rooms. They had to spend the first night in the elders' tower, because the houses for them weren't ready yet. For each family there was quite a big flat. Each of them had two bedrooms, a dining room and a big bathroom. That whole place was quite luxurious. After showing the rooms, the elder of ice told them that at the sunset there would be a great feast.

In the evening, tens, or rather hundreds of dragons were sitting and conversing or dancing in the center of a plaza, where the feast was organized. At that moment, the only dragons from Warfang that weren't dancing, were Stella, Infernus, Flame and Ember. Opposite them were sitting Douten, Ray, his mate, Lyrian, the ice dragoness, and Viola. The lightning guardian watched the crowd of dragons with surprise.  
"Here are hundreds of dragons. Have you invited half of the city here?" She glared at Ray. The lightning dragon just smiled.  
"Well, it's for the city, everybody can come here. And actually, I've never wondered, how many dragons came here every year." Ray turned his head at the ice dragoness. "What do you think, Lyrian?"  
"No idea." She shrugged. "I've never even tried to count."  
"Yeah, it's completely pointless." Flame watched all the dancing dragons. Sometimes, he could see Tremor, Candice, Spyro or Cynder, but they were disappearing from his view every several seconds. Then, Viola slowly stood up.  
"I'll be back in a moment." The ice dragoness said and turned around and started walking slowly along one of the streets. Douten followed her with his eyes as long as that was possible. Ray poked his friend.  
"Your chance, Douten." The alchemist watched him with an asking look. "There may be no better opportunity to say it to her." Douten smiled, as he understood.  
"I guess you're right." The earth dragon stood up from his place and followed the azure dragoness. Four dragons watched that situation with surprise.  
"Does Douten..." Ray nodded answering Flame's question.  
"Yeah, he loves Viola, but still had no opportunity to tell it to her." Ember watched the lightning elder with surprise. After seeing how Douten almost brought Cynder to tears, it was hard for her to think about him as a lover.  
"Does Viola know?" The pink dragoness asked.  
"She didn't show it, but I guess so. We have known each other for ages, we can read each other's intentions." Ray smiled.  
"I really doubt that she loves him." Ember noticed skeptically.  
"Yeah, I think so too." Flame looked in the direction, where the earth dragon went. "He should have waited for a while after treating Cynder like that. Viola surely wasn't amused with the whole situation." Ray just smiled.  
"You're quite plausible to be right." The lightning elder agreed. Then, Flame understood everything.  
"Did you tell Douten to do it on purpose?" asked the fire guardian surprised. "Knowing, how will end up?" The lightning elder nodded.  
"If Viola really loves him, she'll say yes. Otherwise, she'll break his heart, giving Douten exactly what he deserves." Ray explained. Infernus laughed silently with disbelief and shook his head slightly. From Ray's voice, it was obvious, how it was going to end up.  
"And you're calling yourself his friend." Infernus stated with surprise.  
"Yeah, because friends aren't only to help, but also to give us hard lessons of life. Am I wrong, sweetie?" He gave Lyrian a meaningful look and burst out with loud laughter, seeing her annoyance.

"Torch, what are you doing?" the lightning dragon asked curiously his friend, as he sat next to him.  
"Nothing, Zap. Just watching the city." Both youngsters were sitting at the balcony of Torch's room.  
"Where are the girls?"  
"Looking for troubles."  
"Shouldn't we look after them? They are very good about it." Zap suggested, a bit worried about them.  
"Yes, they are. But don't worry, I saw them somewhere there recently." He pointed at the square beneath them. Then, they heard Zealous, Tundra and Sierra's scream.  
"I hate, when I'm right at moments like that. I will call the parents." The lightning dragon hated their impressive skill to fall into troubles.  
"There's no time for it." Both dragons plunged down to the source of the voices. When they were on the ground they saw three dragonesses flying in their direction very quickly.  
"What's happened?" Torch was wondering, what kind of trouble the dragonesses had this time.  
"Is anybody chasing us?"  
"No, Sierra. What's happened?" The fire breather repeated his question.  
"We were checking out how fast can we dive. We were doing this out until there was a strong wind which pushed us at some house. It had really a soft roof, so all the three of us got through it. The owner of house was mad at us, so we apologized and ran away. Now he's chasing us, but we've lost him." Then the five youngsters heard the old dragon, who was cursing the three girls. He was close. Zap noticed a rope lying on the ground, which ended with a big loop. An idea came to his mind.  
"Girls, fly as fast as you can. Me and Torch will stop him for a moment." He turned his head to see what the twins were about to do. And then, he read through their intentions. He tried to dodge it but it was too late. They gave him wet kisses at both cheeks. They giggled and started flying away.  
"Thanks, Zappy." They heard two voices. Torch was laughing loudly.  
"Poor Zappy..." The fire breather said with amusement.  
"One word more, Torch, and I swear I'll do something serious to you." The lightning dragon was really annoyed. "I will have to talk with Candice to make them stop it."  
"I don't think, it would change anything." Torch was barely stopping himself from laughing. "What's your plan?" Zap threw him an end of the rope.  
"Attach it to a tree."  
"And what are you doing?" Torch asked curiously, while attaching the rope to a tree. "Trap." explained Zap perfunctorily.  
"You will make that guy really angry." The fire breather noticed.  
"Yeah." Then the old dragon appeared. He was a green one and seemed to be much older than their parents. When he was flying next to them, Zap threw the loop at his arm and both youngsters started running away. When the rope got strained, the dragon fell onto the ground painfully. The hatchlings started laughing loudly, as they disappeared in the shadows.  
"A nice throw, Zap." Torch admitted.  
"I'll get you, brats!" The dragon looked angrily at the flying away hatchlings. But before he released his arm, the youngsters were already gone.

"Thank you for your help." Sierra said fifteen minutes later, when Torch and Zap finally caught up with them.  
"No problem, girls, but there's one thing, you can do for me." The lightning dragon smiled. It was his chance. "Stop calling me Zappy and kissing me," he suggested, hoping, it would work out.  
"No way." Both twins replied without a moment of hesitation. Zap rolled his eyes.  
"For one week?" He asked, but they seemed not to be convinced about that. "Please?" He said pitifully. The twins started whispering to each other. After one minute they decided.  
"We can do it for you, Zap. But only one week."  
"Thank you," he said gratefully  
"No problem." Zealous poked Zap.  
"You know how to ensure safety for yourself, huh?" said the purple dragoness to her friend.  
"There are some ways."  
"It's cute that you two are so nice to him, but we should go back to our homes." Everybody looked at Torch, who had just joined the conversation. "I guess that our parents think that we're already sleeping. It's almost midnight."  
"Yeah, we'd better go back, before we get into another trouble." Zealous agreed. All the five dragons flew back to their rooms hoping that nobody would notice them coming back home so late.

The azure dragoness was sitting at the city wall. Her eyes were watching two moons carefully. She was lost in thoughts, dreaming about the future. Then she noticed some movement behind her. Viola turned her head hopefully, but then noticed Douten. Earth dragon smiled as he stood next to her.  
"Will you mind?" he asked.  
"Not at all," she lied. The green dragon sat next to her.  
"Tired of the whole that noise of the feast?" Douten started a conversation.  
"Not exactly. I just wanted to reckon about something and needed a bit of silence." The alchemist understood that he had interrupted her plans.  
"If you want me to leave..."  
"No, no, stay here. I wanted to talk with you."  
"What do you mean?" He asked with hope. Viola smiled.  
"You really don't know?" She gave him a surprised look. "Tremor."  
"Oh..." He really didn't want to talk with the ice dragoness about Tremor. "Him..."  
"Stop being such a jerk for him. I know that you had a serious quarrel at your last meeting, but can't you stop it?"  
"Sorry, but no chance." He refused. The azure dragoness sighed deeply.  
"Do something for me." She asked him. Douten smiled.  
"For you everything." He offered.  
"Don't say anything about Gaia, when Tremor's around. Even if you hate each other, he didn't deserve something like that." The alchemist nodded.  
"No problem." He smiled. "I'm not going to let you down, Viola. Never."  
"Is that a promise?" She asked. Douten nodded. The two dragons turned their sights and started watching the sky. They both remained silent, both of them lost in their own thoughts. The green dragon had no idea, what he should do. It was a perfect opportunity, but he was never good at showing his feelings. Douten slowly stood up and watched the azure dragoness. Seeing, that something important was about to happen, Viola also stood up and watched him curiously.  
"Anything wrong?" She asked.  
"I just..." Douten felt that his blood was boiling in stress and heart started leaping faster and faster in excitement. "I just wanted to apologize, for the way I treated Cynder and Tremor." The green dragon lied. He didn't regret that at all, but Viola believed him. "And also..." He made one step more, standing right opposite her. "I love you." He pressed his lips to hers giving Viola a passionate kiss. The ice dragoness stood still aghast by surprise. She had to admit that the kiss was very enjoyable for her. After several seconds Douten stepped back and watched her, waiting for the answer. Tears appeared in Viola's eyes. She really didn't want to say it, but he didn't give her a choice.  
"Sorry, but I don't love you." She said sadly. The ice dragoness turned around and started walking away slowly. "I'm sorry, Douten. I am so sorry." The alchemist glared at her in shock. He thought everything would be good. And now, his heart was sinking lower and lower.  
"Viola." He called her. The dragoness stopped. "Are you saying that because of my change? Is the way I treated Tremor and Cynder the reason for your words?" Viola closed her eyes trying to stop tears. She hated to admit that. She hated to break his heart. But this was exactly what she should do.  
"Yes, it is one of the reasons. But there were more of them." Viola straightened her azure wings. Even at such a sorrowful moment, Douten couldn't help enjoying loveliness of the ice dragoness. "Our fates are absolutely different from what you wanted them to be." She beat her wings and flew away leaving the earth dragon alone in the darkness of the night. Douten watched her disappear. When he couldn't see his beloved dragoness, the whole of his sorrow transformed into fury.  
"Tremor." He hissed. Douten clenched his paws in growing anger. He hit the ground strongly with one of them. Then he did it again. Again. And again. He started hitting the ground intemperately. Every next blast of his was stronger, faster and filled with much more hatred than the previous one. After ten seconds, his paws were crushing the ground so fast that no eye could count the blows. The alchemist screamed madly and hit the ground beneath him with both paws. Around him, dozens of stone pillars appeared from the city wall. The green dragon was breathing quickly. His eyes were glowing with hatred. "Tremor. You'll pay for it." He hissed.

"I think it's time to decide what to do about you." Four elders were sitting at pedestals and glaring at the earth dragon staying before them. Douten looked out a window. It was afternoon already.  
"Douten, why did you give them only one antipoison?" The lightning dragon started.  
"Because it was enough for two dragons, Ray." He was smiling as if he still believed that he was guiltless.  
"So why did you tell them that was enough for only one of them?" Ray continued asking.  
"My mistake."  
"Indeed." Blizzard looked at the alchemist. "I can't believe that you could do something so terrible." The earth elder stated.  
"Which one of them did you try to kill? Cynder or Tremor?" The lightening dragon asked.  
"I haven't tried to kill any of them, Ray." The lightening elder didn't reply.  
"You're a bad liar. And even worse murderer." Blizzard stated.  
"Blizzard, that's enough." The ice dragoness interrupted him.  
"But Itara..." The earth elder tried to oppose.  
"That's enough." Itara repeated firmly.  
"Fine." Blizzard finally gave up.  
"I think that he doesn't deserve severe punishment. If Douten had killed or tried to kill either of them, he would be banished. But he 'only' wanted to let his ex-best friend die. I think that he can't be an elder anymore, but we shouldn't punish him by anything worse than this." Suggested Itara. Ray sighed with relief. He wanted to suggest this same, but no one would listen to him, as Douten's friend.  
"That's the best choice." Blizzard watched the alchemist scornfully.  
"Indeed, it is." Ray admitted. He smiled at Douten, as if he was saying that he was very lucky.  
"I agree." Ardora started speaking to the alchemist. "Douten, the son of Saner, you're not the elder of this city anymore. Your parents were real heroes, it would be a great shame for them, if the whole city got to know what their son had done. That's why, the citizens mustn't know, why you're not an elder anymore."  
"Indeed, that will be for the best, Ardora." The lightning dragon smiled with approbation.  
"Ray, you will tell the guardians about this decision." The fire dragoness told him. Douten was about to leave, when he turned around and called everybody.  
"Before I leave, I want to apologize for what I've done. My behavior was..."  
"I'm afraid, that apologizing is not enough, Douten. It happened and you can't simply ignore it or forget." Blizzard smiled as he hurt Douten by his own weapon. Ardora interrupted his enjoyment with three short words.  
"Douten, just leave." The alchemist bowed slightly, turned around and left the tower of the elders. Walking across the city, he felt that his blood was boiling. Gaia and his title of the guardian, now Viola and the title of the elder, what more would he lose because of that cursed earth guardian? If he met Tremor right then, he knew that he wouldn't control himself. He would kill him without any hesitation. "You'll pay for it. You'll pay for everything that I've lost because of you." Douten whispered. "I'll kill you, Tremor." The alchemist smiled devilishly. He made his choice. Nothing could stop him.


	12. Clues

Chapter 12. "Clues"

"And this is what the elders have decided." Ray explained to all the newcomers from Warfang. They were gathered in Spyro and Cynder's dining room. The elder was afraid they would be angry because of this decision, but they weren't mad at all. They accepted it. "I think they did well. Saner, Douten's father, was a great hero after all and it would be a big shame for him, if somebody heard what had happened." Tremor stated, which didn't mean he was willing to forgive Douten at all.  
"Indeed. He sacrificed his life to save us, after all." Flame turned to Ray. "Douten has already been punished. We shouldn't punish his parents too."  
"Alright. I guess now you will start collecting information about wyverns?" asked the lightning elder curiously.  
"Yeah, we need to do something about them. We can't just wait." Tremor said.  
"You should talk with Douten first. Maybe the guys who wanted to buy that stolen equipment know something about wyverns," Ray suggested. Then he turned around and was about to leave. "Good luck, everybody. You will need it." The lightning elder left he guardians.  
"Who will talk with Douten?" Spyro interrupted the silence which had fell in the room as Ray left.  
"We will do it." Ember volunteered. "Let's go to that alchemist, sweetie." The fire guardian rolled his eyes. He didn't want to do it, but now he had no choice.  
"Fine... Let's meet here again in two hours." Flame informed all dragons. Two fire breathers left them and flew to the alchemist's house.

"Why did you do it?" Flame asked Ember, as they turned into a narrow street.  
"What do you mean?" The pink dragoness perfectly knew what was going on, but she wanted to see the reason for his behavior.  
"Why did you make me go to Douten?" He asked.  
"I did it for you." Ember explained Her mate sighed deeply showing his annoyance.  
"How will this conversation help me?" He asked with disbelief.  
"I see that you're not sure, if he's not angry with you, too. He was jealous, when Tremor and..."  
"No, it's not like that. He's vindictive, not jealous. He hates Cynder, because she was the reason why he had lost his parents. He hates Tremor, because he "stole" his dream of being a guardian and blames him for Gaia's death."  
"Oh, sorry for my mistake." The pink dragoness apologized.  
"Never mind. I would have to speak with him sooner or later after all." Flame watched the buildings carefully. They were already there. They stopped in front of a big wooden door. Flame knocked and after a moment the alchemist opened it.  
"Flame! It's good to see you!" Douten said, a bit surprised. He was smiling warmly.  
"Yeah, it's been long time, huh?" The fire breather smiled, he felt that despite his hatred to Tremor, the alchemist hadn't changed at all. He was this same dragon, who used to be his friend many years earlier.  
"Good morning, Ember." The earth dragon greeted her politely.  
"Good morning Douten." She said rather coldly. She didn't like him at all.  
"Please, come in." He stepped aside and the newcomers walked inside. The alchemist led them to the dining room. Flame and Ember were sitting already, when the alchemist offered drinks. It was his habit. Whoever came to him, he offered him something to drink. As an alchemist, he most probably had a drink of every taste that they could imagine. The two fire breathers nodded and asked for some juice.  
"Wait a moment, please." The earth dragon went to a kitchen. After a moment Douten put two cups with apple juice and the third one, with mysterious yellow liquid on the table. He sat opposite the newcomers.  
"Something happened or it's just a friendly visit?" The alchemist asked without unnecessary mincing.  
"Well, we need to talk about the ones who wanted to buy your equipment. Some wyverns are using it now." Flame explained.  
"Wyverns?" Douten asked, surprised. The fire breathers nodded.  
"They call themselves Venganza," informed him Ember.  
"I think I should first tell you what was stolen." Douten stood up and walked to one of the shelves. He took one of his books and started searching intensively for some information. "Here it is!" The alchemist was glaring at a small sheet of paper. "Before I give you that, let me make some notes. I still need this list." He took a quill, sat down and started noting. "Teria, the northern city. The whole equipment was bought by Diego, a fire dragon. This is a list: four metal special gauntlets, five thousands needles of three types, two straight katanas. There were also bombs, a lot of them, two types, poisoned and explosives. Most of them were explosives." Ember and Flame looked at each other. Bombs, needles... This all was used in the wyvern's attack. Dragons who bought it wouldn't need things like this, if they weren't creating the squad of warriors. "Now it's time for Leafen city in the west. This time a customer was called Glimmer, it's a lightning dragon. This time the list is a lot more interesting. He bought a lot of gems, but I'm afraid, I don't have a list of them." That wasn't good news. If they knew the number of gems, they would know how many members Venaganza had. "The lightning dragon bought a lot of elixirs. Elixirs, which can completely transform a wyvern into a dragon. I gave them the amount of elixirs enough for almost complete transformation of ten, eleven, maybe even twenty wyverns."  
"Is that even possible?" Ember was shocked at that news. Changing body in such a way...  
"Yes, but there's one disadvantage. It changes body not mind."  
"So they shouldn't be able to write. How is that possible?" Flame glared at Douten suspiciously. Something was wrong.  
"You know, some wyverns are as intelligent as dragons, especially those from north. I hope you've heard of twelve wyvern kingdoms of north? I happened to travel through the biggest of them, Celeste. Rally nice place. Anyway, I have some terrible news for you." The fire breathers swallowed hardly. "There are elixirs which gave them special powers at this list. Elements."  
"How many?" Neither of the fire breathers asked how that was even possible. It didn't matter right now. They just waited for this priceless information.  
"Five elements: Fire, electricity, ice, wind and water. Those elixirs can give you power, if you don't have any breath attacks yet, which means each could be used for only one wyvern. There's also one more, but I'm afraid I can't read it. It's indistinct."  
"There's no earth." Flame was getting more worried with every second.  
"Yeah, and what about water? I understand other elements, but this one is so rare..." Ember looked curiously at the alchemist.  
"Element is element. It doesn't matter, if is it rare or not." Douten explained.  
"That's frightening a bit." Ember didn't know what different word she should use. "Changing body against nature, I would say. Not a thing I'd want to temper with."  
"Yeah, I think so too." Flame admitted.  
"Ember, those elixirs are art." Douten argued. "Using them, I can do things absolutely impossible for others. I can give new lives. I am..." For several seconds, he was searching for the right word. "...creator." He finished. The pink dragoness watched him, as if he was mad.  
"Douten?" Flame called him. "If a wyvern as intelligent as dragon transformed his or hers body, would he become a dragon? I mean, could he normally live in our society and no one would even notice that?"  
"Yes." Douten replied.  
"Wow." That was all, Flame could say. "So Vixen really could be wyverness in the past. This far, I couldn't believe it, in fact."  
"Well, I think, we should be going already." Ember stated. Douten watched her with disappointment.  
"Already? Can't you stay a little longer?" The alchemist asked hopefully.  
"No." Flame shook his head. "We have to tell the news to other guardians." He explained.  
"That's pity." Douten said sadly. "Here you are, you may need it." Douten handed Flame a list of the stolen equipment. Three dragons parted and Flame and Ember left the alchemist's house. They'd already flown away for about one hundred meters, when the fire guardian abruptly stopped.  
"Is anything wrong, Flame?" Ember watched him carefully.  
"You were right." Flame kissed his mate. "I need to talk with him. Stay here for a second!" Flame ran back to see Douten. The alchemist was about to leave his house, but the fire guardian called him.  
"Can I ask you about something?" Flame asked the earth dragon.  
"Yeah, no problem."  
"Why did you do this?" The fire guardian asked him with regret. Douten sighed deeply.  
"What exactly do you mean?" the alchemist watched him curiously. He could expect many answers: Why did he create those elixirs or...  
"This, how you refused to help Tremor and almost let him die." Flame explained. "I mean also the words you said to Cynder. That was monstrous, not worthy of the elder of the city. Blaming her for things, which were out of her control." Flame disapproved him.  
"I'm not the elder of the city anymore."  
"But you're still a son of Saner. And this itself is a great responsibility. Our city had a real hero. Don't make us ashamed of his son." The earth dragon didn't know what to say. Everybody was angry with him for what he had done. "Think about this, Douten. Goodbye." Flame interrupted his thoughts.  
"Goodbye." Douten replied silently. Flame flew away with his mate. The earth dragon glanced at the two fire breathers. If he had been chosen to be a candidate for a guardian too, everything would be much different. He would have been chosen to be guardian. He knew that. He would have protected Gaia. He would have a mate. He would have found a way to avenge his parents. Everything would be much easier. There was only one problem. It was impossible to change the past. Done couldn't be undone.

About an hour after the conversation with Douten, all the dragons gathered once more in this same place as previously. Well, most of them. They were waiting now only for Spyro, Cynder and Sparx. After several minutes, Tremor started counting the passing time. Five minutes, ten minutes, quarter... Then Spyro and Cynder came in.  
"You're late daddy!" Zealous noted resentfully.  
"Yeah, we're sorry, but the elders stopped us. They caught us and started speaking about the project they invited us here for." Cynder explained themselves.  
"Yes, they want to inhabit Warfang, cooperating with other dragon cities and villages." Spyro continued his mate's sentence. " They've already started searching for volunteers. They are planning to start with not many inhabitants, but this number will surely increase at an astonishing pace. I won't be surprised, if it becomes the greatest agglomeration of dragons ever created." Now, they've finally understood the scale of this project, they expected it would take years. "There will be a lot of work to do, but the effects will be amazing. What do you think about this?" Spyro wondered. All the dragons seemed to agree with the idea.  
"Who would be the elders of the city?" asked Candice. Being elder of so big a city was surely a serious duty.  
"Four guardians." explained Cynder. "Of course none of us has any experience in things like this, so at first there'll be four other dragons to teach you, until they decide, that you're ready." Spyro said.  
"So we'll have someone like a babysitters." Tremor smirked at his friend. "Wonderful." If guardians accepted that plan, it would completely change their lives and all of them knew that.  
"Is there anyone against this project?" Stella asked other guardians. All the three of them shook their heads. Spyro smiled.  
"The elders will surely be happy hearing that." He stated. "But it means, you'll most likely have to remain here for some time to refine details."  
"What about Venganza?" Asked the lightning guardian.  
"Well, we are bringing good news." Flame smiled. "The conversation with Douten appeared to have been even more fruitful, than we could expect." Then the fire breathers told everyone, what they heard from the alchemist about wyverns and elixirs they had. They were saying about Diego and Glimmer, stolen equipment and explained, why those wyverns were so strange.  
"He can change a wyvern into a dragon?" Stella, as everyone, was shocked. "I thought that was impossible." Ember smiled as she heard the words.  
"Yeah, we believed so too. So what shall we do about this, Spyro?" The purple dragon was thinking intensively. That news was very useful, now they could finally attack, not just defend themselves. But they needed to be careful not to do anything reckless. Separating could appear to be an unsafe idea.  
"We will send two dragons to each city." He decided. "The rest of us will stay here to talk with the elders about the elders' project. How about that?" All the guardians agreed with him. "So who will go to Teria?"  
"I and Tremor." Candice volunteered. "It's my home city after all, I have several good friends to stop by, such as Flush and Ivory. Finding Diego there won't be a problem."  
"Good. What about Leafen?" Spyro watched everyone.  
"I think that we should go there." Cynder suggested. Spyro looked a bit surprised at her. "At least two guardians should remain here to talk with the elders." The black dragoness explained.  
"Yes, that will be the best." Spyro agreed with his mate. Then, Zealous stood in front of her parents.  
"I'm going with you!" She stated, worried they would leave her behind again.  
"Of course, sweetie." The black dragoness was nuzzling her, when an idea came to her mind. She turned to the guardians who were going to stay in the eastern city. "We can take Torch and Zap with us, so you will have more time for yourselves." She suggested. Zap and Torch watched their parents with begging look. They really liked that idea.  
"Are you sure, Cynder?" Flame and Infernus asked simultaneously.  
"Yeah, there's no problem about that." The black dragoness assured. Zap and Torch started begging their parents intensively.  
"You can go with Zealous, Torch." Ember allowed her son, to his great joy. "But be careful."  
"OK, mom." The youngster bobbed his head. Meanwhile Zap was looking at his parents' eyes with a begging look.  
"You can too, Zap." His parents agreed.  
"Thanks, you're the best." He nuzzled his parents.  
"I think that we should fly there tomorrow." Tremor suggested. "We have only seven weeks before Venganza's ultimatum ends." All the dragons agreed with him. So it was decided.

Dragons separated next morning. While parting, Stella suggested, that she, Infernus, Ember and Flame should look for anything about Venganza in the city. It surely wasn't accidental, that they had been told to come to that city. After about half an hour of conversation, nine dragons and Sparx left the city. Cynder took a small bag, she said that she had something for her old friend. At first, they all were flying together. This same path led from the eastern city to Leafen and Teria.  
"Spyro?" Tremor glared at the purple dragon. "What's your plan? I mean, how will you start the inquiry?" Spyro and Cynder stared at each other and thought about this for a moment. They haven't planned anything yet.  
"Well...we still don't have any plan." Spyro said.  
"Yeah, we don't even know, where we will dwell. We should be rather incognito, if that's possible, so we need to be careful." Tremor laughed as he heard Cynder's words.  
"Yeah, I guess, we have exactly this same situation. But you know, I can help you. In Leafen, there lives a fire breather named Fervor. When all the new guardians were visiting dragon cities, I helped him once and he owns me a favor. Tell him that I asked him, if you could live there, he has really a big house." Cynder remembered well, what had happened almost ten years earlier. Guardians journeyed and she and Spyro were helping in rebuilding Warfang. She still was angry at herself for not convincing Spyro to go with them then; they weren't much of help, but had far too much time of complete boredom.  
"That's kind of you." The black dragoness thanked the earth guardian.  
"No problem. Candy? What's our plan?" Tremor asked curiously.  
"My best friend and ex-classmate, Flush, will surely let us live in their house. He won't refuse to me. He's a detective, so he will help us look for Diego."  
"Won't refuse to you?" Tremor narrowed his mate. "I hope that he was just a good friend."  
"Of course! I told you that the first boy I've kissed was you." She remarked quickly.  
"I don't mean that." Then Candice understood her mate's question and rolled her eyes.  
"Yeah, he loved me, but I didn't, so we're only friends. Don't worry. He's calm, intelligent, didn't use to do anything reckless, especially to me." She assured him.  
"Mommy?" Zealous called her. Cynder sighed deeply. If her daughter asks her this way, it always means one thing.  
"No, we're not there yet." All the dragons laughed. The little dragoness could torture her mother by this question for unlimited time, but lastly, Cynder's patience was reaching a critical point after "only" three or four hours.  
"I didn't mean that, mommy." Cynder felt a relief. "Can we play with other dragons we will meet there?"  
"Of course, sweetie."  
"Thanks, mom."  
"I think, that here we will have to say farewell." The purple dragon noticed after several hours of flight more. Tremor nodded. Spyro was right. From this point, Spyro and Cynder had to change direction from northern to western. The dragons were saying good-bye and the three youngsters tried to convince Sierra and Tundra to fly to Leafen too. The dragonesses would go with them, but they really wanted to see their mom's home city. After ten minutes, they've separated.

That was a long, exhausting journey. After two days, Candice, Tremor, Sierra and Tundra saw their point. In front of them there was a roaring beautiful stream, but nobody seemed to notice it. The view of the city was really breathtaking.  
"You should see your faces." Candice noticed, smirking. "Everybody, this is Teria, the White City."


	13. The limit

Chapter 13. "The limit"

Five years earlier

About twenty years old dragon detective was lying on the ground on the border between the field and the forest. His horn was cut off in half and several dark red and yellow scales were lying on the ground. There was a deep wound in his throat which would intensively bleed, if he didn't desperately hold his paw on it. The red fire breather cursed in his mind. He was tricked by his customer and now he was going to die any moment. Fifty kilometers from the closest city with critical injuries... He wished he could see Candice once more. He hadn't talked with her for so many years. Then he heard a noise. Somebody was coming. "Dragons?" He said to himself hopefully. "No, that smell... wolves." He smiled to himself sadly. "I'm dead."

Meanwhile, young dragoness called Ivory was flying above the forest. All her scales were clearly white, only her wings were darkened at the ends and covered in irregular thin light grey stripes. The only part of her body with different color was her azure eyes, glowing continually with weak, almost invisible light and black horns, talons and smooth tailblade. At her side, there was a bag with medicines. Her element was ice, but she wasn't good at using it at all. She was always jealous of Candice about her natural talent. Ivory's specialization was completely different. She'd learnt how to use pure energy; magic. She'd trained it for ten years already, since her father's death. The dragoness glanced at the moons and started flying faster. She had to find her friend, before something bad happened to him. Time was passing inexorably.

Twenty wolves appeared from the forest and looked around the battlefield. One of them went to the dragon and touched his scales.  
"He's still alive, Alpha. But he's losing his blood so quickly, he will die before sunrise." The wolf stated. Alpha wolf took his sword, went to the fire breather and crouched. He glanced at his eyes in which there was almost no life.  
"Do you want to die quickly or slowly?" The dragon kept on holding his throat. He tried to use a breath attack, but he just groaned and a black smoke left his jaw. He hissed angrily. "I think that means quickly." Alpha guessed. He pointed one of his subordinates. "Kill that dragon. I don't have time for scum like him." The wolf smiled, but didn't take his sword. He was going to do it with his bare paws. He glared at the dragon.  
"Aren't you going to beg for your pathetic life?" He asked scornfully, but the fire breather smiled.  
"Quit that bitching and hurry up." Flush was already bored with the whole show. The wolf snarled annoyed, jumped to the dragon and was about to kill him. Then, a white dragoness appeared from shadows. She stabbed wolf in his throat with talons, flew quickly between the wolves and landed at safe distance from them. All the wolves and dragon turned their heads to see the white dragoness.  
"I...Ivy?" Flush asked, surprised. "Run, you idiot! What are you doing here?!" He shouted.  
"I'm not going anywhere without you!" She screamed at Flush and Alpha wolf started laughing.  
"We attacked your mate, huh?" He asked. Ivory blushed with embarrassment. She had always dreamt that he would be her mate and... "Do you want him? Come here and get him." Alpha's words brought her back to reality.  
"Leave him alone!" The ice dragoness shouted, filling her voice with magic. Because of her scream, the air around them seemed to become thicker and it felt like shaking for several seconds. The wolves watched her surprised. Alpha didn't react, but watched his subordinates with disappointment.  
"Don't be afraid of that brat." He said. One of the wolves wanted to attack the dragoness, but Alpha stopped him. "I'll do it myself." The wolf took his sword. It was long, wide and rugged. "What's your name, dragoness?"  
"I...Ivory." She answered, a bit dumbstruck by that question.  
"My name is Grey. Probably the last name you've ever heard."  
"Don't be so self-assured." She replied. Then, Alpha, staying ten meters from her, started swinging his sword the fastest he could. He was doing it so quickly Ivory couldn't even see the blade. Grey started laughing as Ivory's eyes grew wide, while trying to catch up with the blade.  
"I'm not too confident. I simply know my skills." Then, the wolf started running to her. A knife appeared in his paw from nowhere. He threw it to her. Ivory reflected it with the talons of the front paw and by this same paw she stopped the enemy's sword. Miraculously, neither of blades killed her, as she would expect it to end up. The white dragoness tried to stab his throat killing him instantly, but then, wolf caught her paw and kicked her face by the knee throwing her into the air. Then the wolf kicked again, this time her chest. The blow sent her to the ground several meters farther. When she was trying to stand up from her back, Grey appeared above her. He tried to pierce her chest by the sword. She shielded herself with tailblade, but he pushed it away by the other arm. Then Ivory rolled at the side. The sword got stuck in the ground. That was her chance. Ivory shot a small ice spike at him. Grey didn't even have to lean, Ivory missed so badly.  
"Is that all, that you've got?" Gray asked with disappointment. Ivory attacked the wolf. He had no time to take the sword, so he protected himself with his paws. The dragoness tried to slash across his face, but the wolf caught both her paws, hit her face with his head and kicked her painfully again. Ivory fell onto the ground and groaned pitifully. She didn't want to use that skill, because there was a possibility she would overdo it and wouldn't be able to heal Flush. Grey walked to the dragoness and glanced at her scornfully. Next he spitted to the ground in front of her, caught her tail and threw her for about ten meters, so she was far away from all the wolves and Flush.  
"Kill her. I don't have time for scum like that." All the wolves took their swords and started running to Ivory. Meanwhile, Alpha slowly went for his sword and hid it in the scabbard. Ivory sat on the ground and closed her eyes. "Seems like I have to use it." She felt the blue aura surrounding her body. She really didn't want to. She hated hurting others with it, but for Flush...  
"More, more, more..." She focused so much of it she felt she would explode. "Release!" Ivory opened her eyes, when the wolves were one meter from her swinging blades ready to give her deadly slashes. Then a wall of invisible energy threw them all into the air. Alpha glared shocked at that. One second after the blow of magic, the dragoness started swinging paws quickly, releasing magic quickly, with each swing, throwing a wolf to her only to slit his throat with medically precise slash. Before any of them reached ground, they all were dead. At Ivory's forehead appeared several drips of sweat, she was breathing quickly, exhausted with that movement. It took her only ten seconds to kill all his subordinates, but she wouldn't be able to repeat that blow. The wolf drew his sword and ran to the enemy.  
"Die, scum!" He shouted and took sword above his head, when he was two meters from the dragoness. She released a small amount of energy from her jaws, throwing away his blade. Grey stopped with a tailblade touching his throat. The sword whirled for several seconds and stuck in the ground behind its owner. In the eyes of the white dragoness there were burning blue flames.  
"How...W...Wha...What are you?" Grey was shaking because of fear.  
"It's over, Grey." Ivory silted Alpha's throat, killing him instantly. Then she glared at her friend. Her magical aura disappeared, as she ran to him. Flush glared at her and smirked, as Candice would call that, like an idiot.  
"What was that power? I haven't even noticed, when..." He tried to ask, but the white dragoness closed his mouth gently.  
"Don't speak too much. I've learnt how to use magic in the battle." She explained. Flush's eyes grew wide. He knew that Ivory could use a magic pretty well, but he never expected something like that from her. The white dragoness glared at fire breather's wounds and tears started falling down her cheeks instantly. Flush was dying and it was going to be hard battle for his life. She crouched in a small puddle of his blood and started healing him. At first, the throat. She stopped bleedings using magic, before he would bleed to death. The dragoness took restorative elixirs from her bag and forced him to drink them. That was a special and very rare medicine. It could slow down dying caused by loss of blood or take the tiredness away for a short time. That gave her about two or three minutes more. Next she put medical leaves on wounds at the torso and limbs. She didn't clear them, she had no time to worry about infection. After that she wanted to heal internal injuries, by magic this time. Ivory started concentrating energy at her paws, but it flew away instantly. When she concentrated enough to see the blue aura, it would simply disappear. The white dragoness tried to catch it, but it was impossible to catch a haze by bare paws. She was mad at herself, as she understood what was wrong. The detective closed his eyes. Seeing that, she started panicking. "Flush! Flush! Don't close your eyes! Wake up! You can't leave me now!" The white dragoness shook his unconscious body, as if he was just sleeping. "You can't die! You can't die!" That was her magical limit. Her father died of unknown ten years earlier disease. That's why she started learning medicine. And now, because of her weakness and recklessness, her best friend was dying. She tried to use magical power surrounding her, but she wasn't able to do it anymore, she simply spent too much of it. "Flush, I never told you this, but I love you!" She shouted. "I really love you! You… You can't die now! When I finally told you! I beg you…" The fire breather couldn't hear her anymore. His heart and breath were slowing down. "And because you can't die, I'll sacrifice my life for you." Ivory whispered. That was when she decided to use her last ultimate cure. Ivory wounded her paw, there appeared small drip of blood. Next she did this same with his and grasped his paw connecting their wounds, so their blood could mix. This was a technique both invented and forbidden by Lian, her ancestor, by which she could give her own life to heal another dragon. It couldn't resurrect, but healed all injuries immediately. The price for this healing was very high: user's life. Ivory disconnected their paws. She almost fell on the ground, because of the overwhelming weakness, as between them created a stream of the red aura. Ivory watched carefully Flush, unsure, if she could do it. Then the white dragoness kissed Flush passionately. "Give me strength." A simple tear left her eye. She knew that this story wasn't going to have the happy end. "Farewell, Flush." Ivory sighed deeply. She drank another restorative elixir to give Flush more energy. "Even if I've learnt it, I never thought that I would have to use the exchange of lifes." She said to herself. Then, she activated a spell. The sudden weakness brought Ivory to the ground. The red aura started shining and flowing from her to the fire breather's body. The dragoness felt that she was going to faint, but she had to keep concentrated. That was only way to save Flush. If she interrupted it, he would die.  
As life power was flowing from Ivory, her heart start beating irregularly and she started having problems with breathing. She felt creeps across whole body, as she felt breath of death at her neck. She realized that she was dying. "Should I do it?" In her head appeared doubts and the fear of a death. Ivory shook her head. "Of course, yes." Though she didn't want to die, Flush was worth of such trivial sacrifice, as her life. She hugged Flush with rests of her strength. Her eyes closed, when eyelids appeared to be too heavy to remain opened. She had to admit that death wasn't so bad. So relaxing… Almost as falling asleep, but so unusual. She smiled slightly. Last seconds of her life and she had only one thought. Three simple words, which made her sacrifice herself for him.  
"I love you..."

Flush slowly opened his eyes to be blinded by intensive sunshine. He groaned painfully and closed them quickly. Then, he felt that his head terribly hurt. "Good sign." He smirked. "Still hurts, still alive." The detective watched around. Dead wolves were surrounding him. Then, he felt very cold touch against whole his tail and belly. He jerked his head at side to see Ivory. She was lying nestled at his left side and covered by his red wing. Her lips were curled in blissful smile. He tried to stand up, when he understood that their tails were intertwined. "What have happened?" He asked himself. He quickly disconnected their tails and stood up. Only thing he remembered was Ivory's scream to don't close his eyes. Flush touched his throat and felt that all that remained after deep wound was just a scar. He had no idea, what kind of power Ivory used to heal him.  
The fire breather decided that he should wake her up. It was almost midday already, after all. He poked her shoulder softly. "Ivy? Wake up..." She didn't react. "How can she sleep in such a moment?" He asked himself. "Ivy? Wake up." He repeated with impatience. She didn't move at all. "Ivy?!" Flush sighed deeply with helplessness. Not thinking much about that, he stung Ivory's shoulder by a talon to wake her up. And then, to his satisfaction, the white dragoness opened her eyes and hissed angrily.  
"Flush?! What are you..." She froze, as realized that she was still alive.  
"You were in such a slumber that for a moment I could swear you were dead." The fire breather joked. Ivory laughed silently.  
"You have no idea." She said ironically to herself. Then she started asking herself in her mind. "How is that possible that I'm still alive?" Ivory understood everything, as she tried to stand up. She was too weak to do it. It seemed like she had disconnected from him before giving Flush whole her life energy. That was enough to save him and not kill her. Ivory sighed with relief. So it wasn't just a dream. She took last restorative elixir from her bag and drank it. Now she felt much better. She tried to stand up, but, still weak, collapsed at Flush. The dragoness got off him quickly, though quite reluctantly, and tried to hide that she was blushing. Unfortunately, white scales weren't helping her at all.  
"Ivy, why were we... you know..." Flush started. The white dragoness watched him, completely dumbstruck.  
"What are you talking about?" She asked suspiciously. Was there something, she didn't know about?  
"Well..." Flush considered for a while. "...I think that you were cuddling me." He explained her. In result, Ivory lost control on her body and blushed even more intensively. She tried to hide it by pressing her paw to cheek, which looked ridiculously. Flush laughed loudly. He loved watching her like that. Ivory understood that the detective lost consciousness before hearing her confession of love.  
"W...What is so funny?" She asked silently. She hated this. She always was so shy, when he was around. She really wished to confess her love to him once more, but she couldn't say it now.  
"You know, sometimes you flush so intensively that you look like you were the fire breather, not me." He smirked.  
"D...Do I?" She stumbled. Ivory felt, she was blushing even more, if that was possible.  
"Yeah." He confirmed. "Anyway, what have happened?" He asked curiously.  
"Do you remember what I told you, before you lost consciousness?" She asked, still hoping she heard her confession.  
"Something about not closing my eyes. Why do you ask?" Flush asked her suspiciously.  
"Well, there was something more. Didn't you hear it?" She asked, disappointed. Flush shook his head. "It was about…" She wanted to tell him her feelings about him, but her shyness stopped her.  
"About…" Flush encouraged her to continue, very curious about her next words. And it wasn't helping Ivory at all.  
"About… N...never mind…I...I...I'll t...t...tell you…l...later. At...t other… op...p...portunity, I mean." She was stumbling nervously, completely embarrassed.  
"Oh, come on, just spit it out." Flush asked her with disappointment. "You can't make such a tense as if you were going to confess me your love and then don't say a word." The fire breather wasn't making it any easier for Ivory. He never did.  
"J...just never mind. When I think of this now… I was simply so stressed that I babbled something stupid." Ivory explained herself. Flush sighed deeply.  
"Well, if you don't want to, you won't tell me. Anyway, how did you heal that?" Flush pointed his throat. "I thought such deadly wound can't be healed.  
"Magic." Ivory took deep breath and her cheeks started regaining their natural color. "I had to give you part of my own life power." She explained. That surprised the detective.  
"Life power? You could die?" Flush asked, surprised. Ivory bobbed her head once. "You shouldn't have done something so risky just for me!" The detective looked at her like at the youngster, who just behaved recklessly. Ivory blushed. Again. She hung her head sadly, as if she did something really bad. The white dragoness wondered, how her friend would have reacted, if he'd heard her original plan of saving his life.  
"Oh, come on, Ivy..." Flush, seeing his mistake, grasped her chin softly and raised her head, so they were watching in each other's eyes now. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean you to be sad." He gave her apologizing sight. Ivory made herself stop flushing quickly. She had already a lot of practice in doing that after all. Whole ten years. "Never mind, I'm not angry at you at all. Oppositely, I'm so thankful that once we come home again, I'll give you luscious kiss." Flush promised her half-jokingly. Ivory's cheeks again turned into crimson. "If you stop blushing, of course." He added and smirked. The white dragoness smiled slightly, intensively trying to suppress an embarrassment. From distance of only thirty centimeters, she was watching his eyes, as if she was hypnotized... So close... It would be so easy for her to press her lips to his and confess her love. She placed her paw at his cheek, surprising him a bit. A voice of her heart was shouting: "Tell him! Tell him!" She enclosed herself to him a little making distance between their lips at least suggestive. Her heart was leaping in a joy, so exited to tell him that...  
"You have a fever." She stated. She turned around, completely embarrassed and started walking away. "I'll get some food for us and you wait here." She decided. Her heart was screaming in an agony, as if it was being torn to shreds.  
"I'll go with you." Flush stood next to her. It wasn't a suggestion.  
"No way. You stay here and rest." Ivory refused.  
"No." Flush smiled insolently and stood in front of her.  
"You're ill and you shouldn't overtire." The white dragoness desperately tried to find a pretext to stop him. She had already enough of embarrassment for just one day.  
"You're already overtired. Am I really supposed to stay here and do nothing and you, strong and mighty, but still, dragoness, will find food and look after me?" He asked. Ivory rolled her eyes.  
"Oh, so that's the problem." Whole her embarrassment immediately disappeared, overwhelmed by anger. She hated, when he was saying things like that. And he did it often. Much too often. "Quit that male-female crap. You talk about this since ever. I'm not helpless, you know it well. And you barely survived, so please don't do anything stupid, right?" The white dragoness was about to fly away, when she noticed that Flush shook his head refusing. He was becoming annoying now, even for her. "Would you like to explain me, what is wrong with you?!" She shouted.  
"I..." The fire breather was confused now. "I want to help you."  
"You will help me, by sitting down and not moving your tail for even a centimeter from here whatever happens, do you understand that?" She felt, that her blood was boiling. Why was he so stubborn...  
"No." He refused. Ivory sighed deeply. Seeing no other solution, she simply hit his face knocking him out and turned around to leave surprised fire breather. Normally, she would never hit him, but she had already reached her mental limit. She walked away for several meters, when Flush pushed her. Ivory lost balance collapsed and hissed angrily at her best friend.  
"You hit me!" She shouted resentfully.  
"I hit you?" He watched her unsure, if he should laugh or shout. He chose second option. "You knocked me out!"  
"You talk about that male-female things and then hit me?" The dragoness blamed him angrily.  
"I don't beat innocent neither helpless dragonesses! You're not innocent, neither helpless!" He shouted. Then, Ivory jumped to Flush. The fire breather made defensive pose, having some strange feeling that it wasn't going to be loving hug. They started rolling across the grass. Eventually, Flush was at her and held both her paws. She tried to release herself, but the fire breather was much stronger than her. After a moment she released one of her hinder legs and kicked him painfully. She stood next to lying in pain dragon and hit two spots at his body. One at his side, another close to his heart. Then Flush felt that he couldn't move. The white dragoness smiled and pushed him away from her. She was about to fly away, when Flush called her.  
"Ivy? What is that?" He asked, dumbstruck.  
"By hitting two spots at your body I can paralyze you for ten to fifteen minutes." Ivory explained.  
"Sweet. Could you cancel this?" The fire dragon gave her begging smile and sight.  
"Why should I?" Ivory asked. She started walking away.  
"I promise I'll stay here." He offered, but she ignored him. "Ivy? Please?" He extended "e" characteristically for better effect. Ivory giggled silently and blushed slightly. He could be so sweet, when he begged her. She went back to the detective and hit again this same two spots, releasing him.  
"Stay at this field, right?"  
"Promised. And you know, speaking about that kiss... I was serious." The white dragoness turned around and flew away, before Flush would notice that she was blushing of him again.

The fire breather was lying at the grass and thinking about everything, what had happened. "She risked her own life to save me. Indeed, we can count on each other." He never thought about him and Ivory as lovers until now. There was a moment, he was sure, she would kiss him. Flush knew that she really liked him, but could that be called a love? He loved Candice, not Ivory. The detective shook his head getting rid of all those thoughts. Ivory and Candice were his two best friends. Ivory didn't love him. "After all, hitting in face and paralyzing isn't good way to show somebody that you love him..." Flush said to himself. He put a paw at his forehead and felt that it was indeed really hot. That was most serious fever he ever had. When he tried to stand up, he felt dizzy and almost collapsed. Then he noticed something yellow lying in the grass. "No way..." He went closer to mysterious object. "Is that my horn?" He asked himself dumbstruck. "They cut off my horn..." He took yellow horn in his paw and started watching it carefully. "Wonderful." He hissed with annoyance. "Oh, Ivory left here her bag. Maybe I should..." Then, whole his view was blurred, he felt terrible pain in his head. "What the..." Barely seeing it, he went to a small bag lying on the ground several meters before him. He tried to open it. Then, whole world started spinning in front of his eyes. Flush fell on the ground, tearing Ivory's medical bag with talons. All medicines spilled in front of him. Flush tried to find an elixir, which could help him and desperately tried to read descriptions on them, but his vision was too blurred. After half a minute, he gave up and allowed the darkness to consume him.

"You idiot! You were so close!" Ivory's heart was shouting at her. "You could tell it him! You could finally confess him your love!" It blamed her. "But what if he said no?" The second voice; a mind, replied. "He couldn't say no, you moron! He had no reason!" Ivory sighed sadly. "There is one and it's enough: he loves Candice." She shook her head. "No! You're lying! I'll prove you it and tell him that I love him right now!" Ivory's heart pushed the white dragoness back to the field, where was waiting for her Flush. When she saw the fire breather lying on the ground unconscious, she dropped hunted deer and started running to him, really scared about him.  
"Flush?" She touched his forehead, it was even hotter than previously. "Dear ancestors... At this rate, fever will kill him before a sunset." She stated, mad at herself. That surely was some strange infection. If she had cleared his wounds back then nothing like that would have happened. She looked at medicines from her bag. There was nothing, what could lower his temperature and she still hadn't learnt any spells, which would help in this situation. She cursed herself in her mind. She learnt so many spells, but never thought about the one healing fever. She saw only one option, though it was very risky. She had to carry him back to the city. A distance of fifty kilometers with heavier than her Flush wasn't going to be a piece of cake for her so short time after using the exchange of lifes. But she didn't care about that at the slightest. She took some meat from the hunted deer and flew with the fire breather at her back in direction of her home city. That was going to be the hardest journey ever. She was terribly starving, but it didn't matter at all. All that mattered was Flush.

Blow of cold wind woke Flush up. He watched around with sleepy sight. He wasn't beating his wings, but he was flying. He noticed that it was Ivory, holding him with tail and front paws, beating her wings irregularly, as if she would faint any second. They suddenly dove, if she wasn't holding him, Flush would surely fall. Ivory stopped enclosing to the ground only several meters from tops of trees. The detective couldn't call this her natural flight, rather exhausting fight against wind, gravity and time. And she was losing. The white dragoness turned her head to see, if he was alright. Flush watched her with worries. She was so unnaturally pale, even as for her, and azure gleam in her eyes was almost completely gone...  
"Ivy, what are you doing?!" He shouted.  
"I have to carry you to the city!" She replied shouting the loudest she was able to, but still Flush barely heard her. "If I won't bring you there in next hour, your fever will kill you!" She explained.  
"Land! You'll kill us both!" The fire breather shouted. "You can't fly at this state!"  
"We're almost there!" Ivory informed him. Flush raised his eyes to see Teria. They were only one kilometer from it. Then, wind blown stronger, Ivory lost a rhythm and fell down for several meters. One of her feet touched top of a tree. She started beating wings stronger trying to increase height, there was no effect.  
"Land now, Ivy!" The detective shouted. "I'll carry you to the city by the foot!" He bluffed. He knew that he was too weak. And so did Ivory. She simply ignored his words. "We have a time! Ivy!" She was ignoring him and stubbornly flying in direction of Teria. "Ivory!" He shouted desperately. "I'll be fine and at this rate you'll tire out yourself to death!"  
"I'll make it." She whispered. Immediately, she felt overwhelming her weakness. That was her physical limit. "Not now..." She said to herself. "I'm so close..." She flew above some field.  
"Ivy! Land now!" Flush shouted.  
"I'm so close..." She repeated. Then, something cracked in her. Her wings stopped beating. For a second or two, she was gliding and then, started falling. "Not now…" She whispered. The ground was enclosing inexorably. Ivory closed her eyes. And then, she stopped. She expected it to hurt, to hear a noise of her cracking bones, but there was nothing. Only someone's sigh of relief.  
"Just in time." A male voice said. She knew that voice from somewhere. Ivory opened her eyes and saw a lightning dragon holding her and Flush. She jerked her head and saw his face. It was Souka- guard from the city and also father of Ivory's friend.  
"Nice catch, Souka!" Ivory noticed another dragon, a fire breather, most likely also the guard.  
"I couldn't let her fall." Souka replied. The fire breather flew to him and took at his back Flush. Guards started flying back to city. "My little Sylvia wouldn't give me a moment of rest, if something would happen to any of you, Ivory, Flush." The white dragoness bobbed her head slightly. The fire breather burst out with loud laugh.  
"Your little daughter? She has twenty-two years, mate and two years old daughter!" The lightning dragon replied something, but Ivory didn't hear what it was. Whole world she saw and heard like through the dark mist, which was howling down all sounds and blurring her vision. She didn't know, for how long did this state keep, maybe it were just several seconds, maybe whole months or years.

Then, she felt literally electrifying touch. The mist surrounding her immediately scattered. Ivory saw right above her a lightning dragon, but it wasn't Souka. She easily recognized him. That was her teacher in the medical academy at her last year, Bolt.  
"He has infection, which causes deadly serious fever, Master Bolt." That was first thing, Ivory whispered. "Yesterday he had so serious wounds, I had no time to clear them." She explained. Then, Bolt noticed two small red signs, one at her, another at Flush's paw. He was old and experienced, so he easily recognized them. He watched her with disbelief.  
"Call other medics." Bolt ordered sentries and they left, leaving them alone. Old medic was watching his student and didn't know what to say. "You tried to use exchange of lifes?" He asked. He never expected that any of his students would be talented and desperate enough to use the ultimate and forbidden healing. He still was underestimating Ivory's magical abilities. "You know it's forbidden." He said. He knew that elders of city didn't like the white dragoness, they were even scared of her a little. Most of them sought an opportunity to get rid of her from the city. The fact that she tried to use the forbidden magic would be perfect pretext for them.  
"I didn't just try. I did it." Ivory smiled slightly. The lightning dragon couldn't believe his ears. "Yesterday. But I fainted while giving doing it." She explained her teacher.  
"That was recklessness, Ivory. Don't you know that you should be dead by now?" Her teacher asked. The white dragoness started laughing quietly.  
"Master Bolt, I meant to die. If that's a price for the Flush's life I'm not scared of death." Ivory closed her eyes. Flush was safe. She could finally rest. Her breath started slowing down. Then Bolt understood how critical her state was. She hadn't any wounds, but she used too much of magic yesterday. Also, to bring Flush there quickly, she overtired herself far away beyond any limits. The lightning dragon whispered to her ear "Don't leave us yet. Flush still needs you." In reply, Ivory muttered something faintly. At that moment, in room appeared five medics. Just in time. Bolt turned to them.  
"Alright. Let's save them."


	14. First expression

Chapter 14. "First expression"

Tremor, Candice, Tundra and Sierra reached their destination. Teria. It was beautiful city. All buildings were clearly white, at walls there was not even simple sign of a dust. Candice glanced at astonished Tremor and smiled.  
"Why are you so shocked? You've been in Teria already." She said. Tremor didn't even turn his head at her. He noticed that city wasn't purely white, in many windows, there were beautiful, colorful stained glasses.  
"Well...yeah, but I forgot, how majestic that city is. What do you think about this, girls?" He turned head to see young twins at his back. Both of them had widely opened jaws and only their reaction was simple nod. Guardians bursted out with loud laugh.  
"I think we should find that Flush." Tremor said. He noticed hat Teria was five or even six times smaller than Warfang, but divided at five sections. As Candice explained them, every levels was ten meters higher than lower one and had system of labyrinth tunnels, which gave dragons easy way to evacuate, if apes would take charge of lower level. Tunnels could be also easily closed from inside to let only allies in. At the highest level, there was enough place and food for whole city for about half a year, also a lot of medicines. Teria was perfect to protect against siege, but there never was any, because apes never found a city hidden in mountains. But it had its disadvantages. Because of all tunnels and complicated levels it was the matter of time to get lost there, even for Candice, who grew up there.  
"How is that possible that all buildings are so clear?" Tremor asked.  
"Powerful sorceress lived here once. She enchanted whole this place turning it into white, so while winter it was invisible. And at other seasons, system of rivers was efficiently discouraging apes from coming here."  
"Sorceress?" Tremor asked, dumbstruck. "It sounds like some tale." Candice smiled.  
"I thought so at first too. But there lived one hundreds years ago. Lian, the ice dragoness, my best friend is her descendant by the way. Lian was also one of the best medics in history and wrote a lot of books about our anatomy. Thanks to her we have special academy for medics."  
"Not bad." Tremor admitted. After about half an hour and three times getting lost, Candice finally found detective's new house. It was second, almost the highest section. As all houses it was white, but had several stained glasses.  
"Tremor, take kids there." Candice pointed a small hill about twenty meters from them. "From that point there's beautiful view and I'll talk with Flush." She suggested.  
"No problem." The earth guardian called Sierra and Tundra and flew with them at the hill. Candice smiled as she watched her family, but then, without reason her heart filled with an anxiety. She had no idea why, but she had really bad feelings about this all. Should she involve Flush in her own troubles? She felt it was somehow wrong that she would imperil him. But she just ignored those feelings and knocked at the door. After about half a minute, it opened slowly. There appeared the fire breather, her equal. The most of his body was crimson, his horns, tailblade and belly were yellow and talons clear black. One of his horns was cut off in half and there were three long scars at both his arms, from shoulders to paws. Candice watched his throat. Several another scars, two or three had been serious, if not deadly serious wounds someday. Then, she noticed a necklace. The gold chain and the medallion. The clear yellow hemisphere was covered in light red ornaments. At its flat side, there could be seen some complicated mechanism. That was surely Flush, but he'd changed a lot. She always was thinking about him as just a youngster, but now, he seemed to be actually matured. That was strange for her. Flush? Matured? Impossible. But all those scars... If not medallion and never disappearing smile at his mouth, she surely wouldn't recognize him. The fire breather yawned deeply. It was barely a sunrise and she surely woke him up.  
"Who...What are you doi..." Then he recognized her. "No way! Candice? That's really you?" She nodded. Flush watched her carefully. "Wow. You…grew up." He immediately woke up.  
"Long time no see, huh?" She said. They hugged each other in a friendly way. Flush felt his heart rate spiking. He was so excited... He always felt like this, when she was so close. When he could feel her soft scales, beautiful smell...  
"It's good to see you, sweety." He greeted her. The ice guardian rolled her eyes, as she understood, what he was thinking about.  
"Don't play with me like that, you won't gain a thing." She warned him, trying to stop him immediately.  
"Why not? I still believe we can be perfect couple."  
"We're just friends, don't forget about this." She tried to bring him back to earth. "And besides that I already have…"  
"Well, if you haven't left Teria, we would surely be together now." Flush interrupted her.  
"Sorry for breaking your heart, but I'm afraid not." She refused with such voice, as if she didn't regret that at all, which was true. The fire breather just smiled. He could smile in so specific way, which it always melted an ice in her heart and calmed her down.  
"I still believe, I'm right, my lady."  
"You'll never grow up." Candice stated, shaking her head slowly and smiling.  
"All pleasure is mine." The fire breather kissed her right at lips. Candice, completely dumbstruck, was about to slap him, only thought, that jumped through her mind was "Thanks ancestors, that Tremor doesn't see her now." And then…  
"Ekhm..." The earth guardian, who appeared to be staying right behind her, coughed meaningfully. He was really angry. The ice dragoness felt her heart going crazy and her cheeks were purely red now. She quickly stepped away giving Flush blaming sights for putting her in such awkward situation. But the detective didn't, or pretended that he didn't, notice that and smiled to Tremor cordially. He seemed to have no idea, who was he, though, as detective, he should have already guessed.  
"I guess you know each other." The fire breather didn't notice two little dragonesses hiding behind their father. "So what's your name, Candice's friend?" Then he felt a strong, unexpected pain at his jaw, as from the ground beneath him appeared a stone pillar. Candice's eyes grew wide, as Flush collapsed. Tremor went slowly to her and glared at her skeptically.  
"He's not going to do anything stupid, huh?" He asked. The ice dragoness blamed herself for what just happened. She should have been harsher for Flush.  
"Well...I thought so..." She was about to apologize, but the earth guardian nuzzled her with warm smile.  
"I'm not angry at you." His smile disappeared as he looked at the fire breather, who just stood up. Two males watched each other carefully. "But at him." Tremor added.  
"I'm Tremor, the earth guardian. And also, the Candice's mate." He introduced himself, emphasizing last word. The detective looked like he was hit in face again. He flushed intensively, but red scales hid that fact perfectly.  
"M...mate? So that is her mate? Damn, I'm an idiot!" He said in his mind. His eyes were watching the ground now. After so terrible mistake he couldn't look at any of them."I'm sorry. That surely made you very angry." He muttered so silently that Tremor barely heard him.  
"Just don't flush so much, Flush." Tremor smirked, treating detective's name like joke. The fire breather watched the earth dragon madly.  
"Are you making fun of my name?" Tremor's smirk seemed to just confirm Flush's guess. The fire breather hissed. He hated, when anyone was doing that. "I can't believe that such pebble-brain asshole became the guardian! Such a youngster… What were guardians thinking, when they've chosen you? You wouldn't be able to protect even your own sister!" The detective couldn't know that he said worst thing he could. Tremor tried to strike Flush with his clubbed tail, but the fire breather managed to block a blow. Then, Candice stood between males, who were glaring at each one, as if they wanted to kill each other, which wasn't very far away from truth, actually.  
"Stop it, you both!" Candice turned her head to Flush. "Flush, if you say one word more about Tremor's sister, I won't protect you. More, I'll be first one to hit your never shutting up jaws." The ice dragoness said with angry voice. Flush understood his mistake and hung his head, watching his paws again. But this time, his repentance to Tremor was sham. And Tremor knew that. After several seconds of hesitating, the fire breather raised his eyes to see two small dragonesses. That was his chance to change a subject of their conversation. "I guess that are your daughters?" Candice nodded.  
"They are twins." She explained  
"So what are your names?" Flush asked youngsters.  
"Sierra!"  
"Tundra!" Both girls giggled. The detective forced himself to smile. Candice was happy now. Mate, daughters... But she wasn't with him, but with someone else. He felt invisible blades piercing through his heart.  
"Can I do anything for you, Candice, Tremor?" He asked, filling last word with scorn. It was obvious that the earth guardian wasn't going to answer, so Candice did.  
"We need your help, Flush."  
"My as friend's or detective's?" He watched her curiously.  
"Both of them. And don't kiss me again. Never." She said coldly.  
"Understood. Please, come in." All five dragons went into the house to the living room. Candice noticed that it was much too big for only one dragon. "But Flush's behavior denies that he has mate. Maybe he had mate, but she died..." She said to herself. Then, the ice dragoness thought about Ivory. The beautiful white ice dragoness, very intelligent and easily making friends. Candice and everybody except Flush knew that she loved detective to death. She was very shy, but she surely told him her true feelings to him. She had ten years to do it...  
"What happened to Ivory?" Candice asked. Detective jerked his head curiously.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"Well, I haven't seen most of my friends for several years at least. I'm sure that a lot changed in our city." She explained.  
"Yeah. Dusty and Sylvia finally have children. Twins, Amy and Frost. They're in age similar to your daughters so I'm sure, they will become friends." Candice smiled as she thought about Dusty and Sylvia. That was just the matter of time.  
"You still haven't answered my question." Candice said.  
"Since she seriously broke law at one point, I would prefer to don't say that, when the earth guardian is around." Flush gave Tremor suspicious sight. Tremor understood suggestion.  
"You actually think that I'll leave right now?" Tremor asked with disbelief. Annoyance was growing in him. "Of course I will. I can even take kids with me, so you'll have opportunity to talk face to face. Once more." He said sarcastically. He wasn't going to even move. Flush watched him, as if he wanted to tear him to shreds, Tremor was giving Flush as good as he got.  
"Enough, you two." Candice had enough of their little war. "Flush, tell, what happened with Ivory. I trust Tremor won't say anyone a word about that." She assured him.  
"Well, I don't..." Detective tried to refuse.  
"Flush..." Candice electrified him with sight, impatient with his behavior already. Tremor smirked triumphantly.  
"Alright, alright..." The fire breather admitted reluctantly, still pretending, as if he didn't trust Tremor, giving his best to annoy him. "After finishing second level of academy, you were taken to Warfang. Ivy tried to pass at third level, but you know how weak she was about her element. She failed exams getting the lowest grade that was possible, when it came to elements. One day, she asked me for help. We came at the meeting of elders and asked, if she could be learnt a magic in medical academy. At first, they all watched her, as if she was insane, especially her teacher. You know that when it was about she was the worst ice user he ever met. Elders started explaining her that magic is exclusive power, that not everyone can learn it and especially not a dragoness so untalented like her."  
"What did she do?" Candice asked curiously. Flush just smiled.  
"She extinguished burning candle standing ten meters from her just waving paw, with other gesture, she brought it in front of herself and let it float one meter above the ground. Then, she confessed that she had been secretly learning a magic, since her father's death."  
"And then?" Tremor asked. For once, some of Flush's talking interested him.  
"At first they were wondering to banish her for such insolent breaking of law. You know that only chosen dragons can learn magic and most of elders never liked her... They were about to do it, when elder Bolt refused firmly, saying that she had great potential, which they couldn't waste. Eventually, they decided to let her study. Actually, I'm supposed to don't tell anyone about that. You know, things like that should remain secret." Flush finished his story.  
"I see that you're very loyal to friends..." Tremor muttered loud enough to let his mate and the detective hear that.  
"But can she control things? Is that power so magnificent?" Candice asked to don't let those two argue.  
"It's rather simple." Flush refused. "She can create a barrier of pure energy at any point around her and move it anywhere she wants. For example trick with candle. Pressing barrier to fire extinguished it, other barrier right under candle brought it in front of elders. I've seen her killing wolves thanks to such a barrier. Her tricks may look spectacularly, but she uses only one magical skill, with a lot of limits, like size of barrier, its speed... Well, I'm not counting a medical magic of course, because she knows thousands of ways how to heal any wound." The detective explained.  
"So, she'll be our second Lian, huh?" The ice guardian asked.  
"Yeah, after all, she deserved that. Stubbornness, hard work... And inherited talent." The fire breather agreed.  
"True. And how about you and her? I mean, has something changed?"  
"Nope, sweety." Flush replied shortly. Tremor rolled his eyes and coughed meaningfully. He promised himself in mind that he would talk with Flush about that 'sweety', most likely using talons. "We're friends since ever and nothing serious happened to destroy our friendship. Well... I'm quite surprised that she still hasn't mate. It looks like she's waiting for someone, who she loves, to confess her his feelings." All that news saddened Candice.  
"Poor Ivory." She thought. "Is she so really shy, that she didn't tell it Flush?"  
Tremor watched his mate and he quickly understood what kind of bond was between Ivory and detective. Unrequited love. "What a jerk." He said in his mind. "That Ivory surely not once has shown him her feelings to him. And he, in his ignorance, breaks her heart. He doesn't even notice her, as I guess."  
"So how can I help you?" Flush interrupted silence. Tremor wasn't going to talk with him, so Candice answered.  
"Have you ever heard about intelligent, mutant wyverns?" She asked. The fire breather grinned mysteriously and nodded.  
"I knew that you would need information about Venganza." That surprised all guests. Even the earth guardian glanced at him shocked, but still, he wasn't going to say any word to him, as long, as it wasn't necessary.  
"How did you get information about them?" Candice asked.  
"I have my sources. I heard about those three attacking Warfang. This one you've killed had ninth rank." Flush said.  
"What more do you know about them?" Everybody in that room knew that Flush's news were priceless, so even Tremor listened to him carefully.  
"You know, this almost cost me my life." Flush confessed her. In his voice, there could be heard a note of pride.  
"Cost a life? What do you mean?" The ice guardian asked.  
"I was almost caught by one of them, when he noticed that I was spying him." Flush explained. "Several centimeters closer and his swords would pierce my chest for sure. You know, I still have a feeling that he let me escape."  
"So close." Tremor whispered silently to himself with great disappointment, but both Flush and Candice heard that.  
"Well, Venganza means vengeance." Flush continued, already planning malignant riposte. "It's the organization, which members are only wyverns. But not normal, mutants. They almost look like dragons, but have specific pale green scales and another than dragons built of heads, especially faces. This is caused by elixirs stolen from Douten, the elder of eastern city, who several years a..."  
"Douten isn't elder anymore." The earth guardian interrupted him. Flush glared at Tremor with annoyance, but the earth guardian was watching paintings at a wall, as if he didn't care about whole that conversation.  
"Shall I continue?" The detective asked, as if he actually cared about his mind.  
"No problem." Tremor replied carelessly. He seemed to completely ignore him. Candice watched them carefully. They hated each other and she had to mitigate them both, before they would do something serious to each other. Which, knowing those two, would happen very soon.  
"How generous." Flush said sarcastically. "So, here's a deal. Three dragons who may have any information about Venganza are or will be soon in Teria. Their names are Diego, Fuerzo and Mar. Only Diego is now in city, so you can talk with him right now, here's his address." The fire breather gave the ice guardian sheet of paper, which had materialized in his paw a second earlier. "Because I'm detective, I'm not going to just rest. I'll look for that two missing dragons. They've just moved in to Teria, so I don't know much about them, but give me several days. I need to discover what their ties with Venganza exactly are. They contacted Diego about this stolen equipment, so there must be somethng." Flush promised them.  
"Flush..." Tremor started. All dragons jerked their heads at him with surprise, they didn't expect that. "You didn't tell us anything, we didn't know about, except information about Mar and Fuerzo, which still didn't give us anything." The earth guardian summed up. Tremor smirked silly, as Flush watched him hatefully. Candice, not to let them fight, started speaking.  
"Well, we have Diego's address so we'll be going to him. I have to please you one more favor, Flush."  
"Anything for you, sweety." Flush bowed in theatrical gesture. The earth guardian felt his blood boiling, as Flush grinned insolently. Now, he was wondering, why detective was calling her like that. Because of his feelings or just to vex him? Candice sighed deeply in surrender. She already knew that both those reasons were correct.  
"Well... Can we live in your house while being in Teria?" She asked. Flush felt joy filling his whole body. "Candice living in my house is a blessing..." Then his thoughts were interrupted by Tremor's deep sigh. The earth guardian wasn't happy about that idea and showed it everybody, but the ice dragoness just ignored him. "...but that Tremor is a curse." Flush finished a sentence in his mind.  
"There's no problem. I guess that I should look after your kids, when you're out?" Flush guessed. Candice nodded, agreeing. "Alright. Tundra, Sierra go at first level, please. I'll show you your room in a second." Both youngsters ran to the stairs at the first level. Tremor and Candice were about to leave, when detective grabbed her shoulder.  
"Can I talk with you, sweety?" Flush pleased. This request surprised dragoness, but she nodded. Hearing word 'sweety' again, Tremor felt so tempting desire to, not thinking about after-effects, hit that fire breather right at his ugly, scarred face, but he stopped himself. He could make such a sacrifice for Candice.  
"Tremor, wait for me outside." She pleased. The earth guardian rolled his eyes, he didn't like this idea.  
"Alright Candy. Don't make me wait too long." He reluctantly left house and closed door. Flush smiled to himself.  
"Candy. Such beautiful nickname for her." He thought.  
"What do you want to talk about? I don't have much time, so hurry up." Candice said coldly. All that anger between Flush and Tremor put her in gloomy mood.  
"Don't be so harsh, sweety. I just wanted to apologize for that embarrassing mistake and say how much I've missed you." He smiled again in a way, which always made her calm down.  
"It feels like whole centuries have passed since our last meeting. When were we talking lastly?" She asked rhetorically. Flush had been waiting for that question.  
"Several years ago I saw you for a moment, when you were in Leafen with all new guardians. I tried to talk with you then and later, in Teria, but I wasn't lucky. Anyway, our last conversation was at the sunset before you flew to Warfang. Eleven years, three months, fourteen days and about… eleven and half hours ago." That surprised her.  
"That's...sweet that you counted this." She admitted, careful, not to do anything that could provoke him to another stupid act. "I missed you so much. I didn't want to leave, but it was my duty and later..." She started explaining herself.  
"That's fine. We're best friends and I'm not going to blame you or be mad at you because of something, you couldn't change." Candice smiled with irony, as she thought about Tremor and Douten. Then she glanced at his medallion.  
"You still have it." She noticed. Flush smiled and caught gold hemisphere in his paws.  
"You know, that I can't forget about you. Do you have it too?" The ice dragoness nodded and took her medallion from bag at her side. They were almost this same, though each of them was a little different. His had light red decorating and her one had white ornament. Both dragons detached gold chains from medallions and connected their flat sides. Magnets inside medallions kept them together making a gold sphere. At place, where at first were chains, there was a small button. Candice pushed it and connected medallions opened. Inside of them there was a simple description: 'Best friends'. Candice sighed nostalgically.  
"That brings memories. Do you remember the academy?" She asked. The fire breather nodded.  
"I and Dusty were always cheating. If not you, Sylvia and Ivy, we'd never make it through." He couldn't help it, but smiled slightly.  
"Come on, not always. At final exams, you were the one to save my tail." Candice noticed. Both dragons laughed silently, as they recalled that old times. "Sometimes, I wish I could live through academy once more." She confessed.  
"So do I. But life goes on." Flush indeed missed those times. "By the way, your parents will be in the city next week." He mentioned. Aghast Candice watched him carefully, if he wasn't just kidding, her eyes grew wide, as she heard that.  
"My parents? They're a... H…How do you know?" She stumbled.  
"They've sent me a letter. They're in one of villages at the east actually, coming to the home. They've pleased me to invite you to Teria, so I sent a letter to the eastern city with offer of help and the news yesterday. But I see that there was no need to."  
"They're back…" Candice whispered, not believing her own words.  
"I guess they missed you." Flush said. "After all, you haven't seen them for whole years…"  
"Mhm." She muttered. "Thanks. I…I owe you a great favor." She smiled warmly to him. They were staying like that in silence for some time and, to his surprise, Flush started feeling awkward.  
"Well, I'm sure Tremor is worried about you already." He stated. The ice dragoness nodded. They disconnected medallions and wore them at their necks.  
"See you, Flush." Candice farewelled him. Before she disappeared from his view, the detective was watching her beautiful body. His heart rate was two times faster than normally. It was the first time for him to be so happy since very long time, even if he had to live with Tremor in one house.  
"Goodbye...Candy." He whispered, silently enough, so she didn't hear him.


	15. Angelo and Genesis

Chapter 15. "Angelo and Genesis"

Day before Tremor and Candice came to Teria, Spyro, Cynder and youngsters have just reached Leafen. It was one of smallest dragon cities. It surely deserved its name, as in its middle, there were growing great trees, hiding whole city under coat of leaves, so even from the sky Spyro and Cynder barely found it, only thanks for lights of houses.  
"It's well hidden, isn't it?" Cynder asked her mate.  
"It isn't." Zealous refused. "From the air it's not hard to find it." She noticed. Cynder giggled silently.  
"Well, they cut off most of the trees after end of war. There used to be so many trees that this city was called also dark city." Cynder said. Spyro jerked his head curiously, wondering, how she knew that. "When I was corrupted, I was searching for it. Though I flew above it not once or twice, I didn't notice it. When apes tried to get here by foot, forest appeared to be so dense that they gave up." She explained herself.  
"So this city wasn't involved in war?" Spyro asked. "Or was it asylum for ill and wounded dragons, like Teria or Certona?  
"Oppositely, they were involved. Leafen was one of the most important cities in time of war. Did you know that before war, half of dragons in here were lightning users? They became teams specialized to smuggle food, medicines and information to other cities."  
"How was that group called?" Zap asked curiously.  
"Sparkles." Spyro answered. "Your mom was speaking about them as an example of the fastest lightning dragons at Zealous's birthday."  
"They were the fastest dragons ever, actually. They weren't trained how to fight at all, but they were just increasing their speed, so they were practically uncatchable. Most of apes believed that they were just ghosts, since all they saw was yellow flash." Cynder explained.  
"Are they as fast as my mom?" Zap asked.  
"No idea, but I guess, they're even faster. You should ask her." Cynder said. The lightning dragon nodded.  
"Mom, are we there yet?" Zealous asked curiously.  
"Yes, almost there." Cynder sighed with great relief that she wasn't going to hear that question anymore. Five dragons dove to land before the city walls, where they were stopped by a sentry. He watched Spyro carefully and noticed his scales' color.  
"The purple dragon visited our city." He said with surprise rather to himself than to them. He turned at two dragonesses. "I guess that you're Cynder and little one is your daughter, Zealous." The black dragoness nodded. A sentry smiled with admiration. "What brings you here?" He asked.  
"Unfortunately, duty." Spyro replied with a sad voice.  
"Can I help you somehow?" The guard asked. At first, Cynder wanted to refuse, but she had an idea.  
"Do you know where the fire breather, Fervor, lives?" That question was going to save them lot of effort.  
"Yes, I know his sons pretty well, actually." After that words, sentry quickly explained them, how to easily find that house. When they thanked and were about to leave, Spyro turned to guard again.  
"Don't tell anyone that we're in city. We have to find somebody, but he can't know that we're looking for him." He pleased.  
"No problem. I won't say a word." The guard promised. Spyro thanked once more and al five dragons started walking to Fervor's house. Spyro looked around. Leafen was at least six times smaller than Warfang, but it was lovely place. It had its own, unique charm. Though they were in the middle of city, it felt, as if they still didn't leave forest.  
"Zap, Torch, won't you miss your parents?" Zealous asked her friends. Both youngsters shook their heads.  
"Don't worry about us. We survived that wyvern's attack, we'll be alright. And besides, we will spend here maximum four weeks for me." Torch stated.  
"Don't be so sure, Torch. Finding one dragon in so big city can't be easy." Zap replied. He was wondering, when he would really miss his parents.  
"I don't think so." The young fire breather refused.  
"Bet?" Torch jerked his head surprised by Zap's suggestion. Each of them was absolutely sure that he was right.  
"Yeah, why not?" Torch answered after moment of doubt. "I win, if we spend in Leafen less than four weeks, you win, if we spend here more time. If you lose, you will have to kiss Tundra and Sierra and you can't tell them that you did it because of bet." Torch grinned and Zap sighed deeply. The fire breather knew him too well, to give him light punishment. Zap also had perfect idea, but he had to lower his voice to don't let Cynder and Spyro hear him.  
"Alright, but if you lose, you will have to go through the dodging room three times." The lightning dragon smiled as Torch swallowed hardly. The dodging room was recently built in Warfang place, where guardians were training dodging a surprise attack. It was dangerous, so only adults could get in there. There was no chance that Torch could go through it without being hit. The purple dragoness started laughing, when she noticed fear at her friend's face.  
"Fine." Torch accepted challenge. Two males grasped each other's paws. "Zealous?" The purple dragoness disconnected them by a soft touch of her tailblade.  
"I'm wondering, who will lose that bet. I can't miss that." The young dragoness said. Then her parents stopped. "Are we there yet, mommy?" She asked her mother with voice as curious, as always. Cynder nodded and Spyro knocked at the door. A moment later, it was opened by a yellow dragon. He was an equal to Spyro and Cynder and at his left arm was band with description 'vice-captain' and symbol of the lightning. He glanced at Spyro, but most of his attention he paid Cynder.  
"Do I know you?" He asked, watching her carefully. "Those eyes… I'm sure, we've already met." The black dragoness shook her head.  
"I don't think so. I guess you're not Fervor?" She asked.  
"No, no. I'm Angelo, his son. Wait a second, I'll call dad." The dragon went back to his house and shouted to his father. After moment, much older than them fire breather stood before them. He was much higher than Spyro or Cynder.  
"Good evening, Spyro, Cynder." Old dragon easily recognized them, but still was surprised by their visit.  
"Good evening. So you're Fervor." Cynder stated.  
"Yes. Please, come in." Five dragons followed the fire breather. They went to dining room, where several dragons were eating their dinner. When they went to room, Fervor called everybody. "Family, we have guests." All dragons glared at their five carefully. That embarrassed Spyro a bit.  
"Good evening, everybody. I'm Spyro. This is my mate Cynder, daughter Zealous and their friends: Zap and Torch." The purple dragon introduced them all.  
"It's pleasure to see you in my house. As I've said already, my name is Fervor. This is my mate, Aria." He pointed a yellow dragoness. "Those are my son Angelo, his mate Heaty and their daughter Cena." The fire breather pointed yellow dragon, red dragoness and young lightning dragoness. She was equal to Zealous and other hatchlings. "And here is my second son, Genesis, Angelo's twin brother." Genesis was fire breather. He, like his brother, had an armband with a description 'vice-captain', but at his one was symbol of fire. "Next to Genesis sits his mate, Sue and their son Volk." The dragoness and her son were earth dragons. Volk was this same age as his cousin. "Do you want to eat dinner with us?" Fervor suggested. The purple dragon nodded and guests sat at table. Zealous, Zap and Torch sat next to their equals and started talking with them  
"You are very hospitable, Fervor." Cynder admitted. She guessed that he'd accommodate any dragon, not caring, if he was someone well known or not. The fire breather smiled warmly, as he heard those words.  
"Why shouldn't I be? Well, what's the point of your visit?" The black dragoness quickly swallowed a big part of meat and almost choked.  
"We have to find the lightning dragon, Glimmer. It's really important, because we have a suspicion that he cooperates with wyvern's organization called Venganza, which attacked Warfang." She explained.  
"Everyone here heard already about that attack. I think I can help you, as vice-captains, I and Angelo are quite… influential." Genesis stated.  
"That's perfect." Spyro smiled to himself, as he heard good news. They had chance to quickly finish an investigation. "Fervor, do you know the earth guardian, Tremor?" Spyro asked. The fire breather nodded. "Well, he asked, if we could live in your house, as long, as we're in Teria. I know, it may be very troublesome, but..."  
"Of course, you can. In my house there's always free room." Fervor assured them.  
"Perfect. Could you tell me..." Cynder wanted to ask about something, but Zealous interrupted her.  
"Mommy, can we go out with Cena and Volk? We'll be right behind house." She asked.  
"Have you finished your dinner?" Three hatchlings nodded. "Alright, go playing, but remember to be back before it's completely dark."  
"Thanks, mom." Five youngsters left house and adults continued conversing. After about fifteen minutes, Sue told everybody her suggestion.  
"How about going to forest?" She asked them. Genesis smiled.  
"I'm in. Bro?" The fire breather turned to his twin brother. Angelo glanced at Heaty. She nodded.  
"We too. How about you?" The lightning dragon turned to others.  
"Not we. I had a lot of job in academy today and Aria's tired too." Fervor refused with voice of tired with life elder. Spyro and Cynder watched him with surprise.  
"Are you teacher in academy?" Spyro asked.  
"Yeah, one of first level teachers." The fire breather specified.  
"Spyro, Cynder, are you coming with us?" Genesis repeated his question, in his voice there could be heard note of impatience. Spyro wanted to consider this offer, tired with journey, but his mate hadn't any doubts.  
"We're going too." She decided.

Soon, all six dragons flew away from the house in direction of the forest. When they were at city walls, sentries stopped them. It seemed like they had already got used to young dragons sneaking out from the town at the evening.  
"You shouldn't go to the forest when it's so dark. It's dangerous for so young..." Sentry started reciting trained monologue, when he Angelo and Genesis coughed meaningfully. Sentry noticed their armbands. "Sorry, Vice-captain Angelo, vice captain Genesis. You both are so young, I still fail to recognize you in darkness."  
"No problem." The lightning dragon smiled warmly in exactly this same way, as his father. He and his brother were youngest so high-ranked dragons in city ever.  
"I see that Sue and Heaty are with you." The guard stated. Two dragonesses smiled to each other. Because their mates were vice captains, all sentries in a city knew them. "And who are you?" He asked Spyro and Cynder.  
"I see that sentries here check out everybody who gets in and out, huh?" Cynder muttered, but the guard ignored her.  
"My name is Spyro and this is Cynder." The purple dragon explained. The sentry glared at two much younger than him dragons with disbelief. Spyro and Cynder? Was that possible, that so young dragons defeated Malefor? Heaty smiled, as she saw dragon's reaction.  
"I guess that two vice-captains and those, who saved whole world, are enough to make you sure that I and Sue will be safe in that forest." She stated. The guard was so dumbstruck, he didn't reply. Six dragons flew to forest without giving him time to say a word. When they were about one hundred meters from city, all dragons landed and started laughing.  
"That was great, sweety." Angelo nuzzled his mate.  
"Yeah. That sentry should have seen his face." Sue admitted. They all laughed once more.  
"How's that possible that you and Angelo are vice captains, when you're so young?" Spyro asked, changing a subject of the conversation. Genesis watched him surprised and then smiled ironically.  
"I can ask you, how that's possible that fifteen years old dragon, you that is, saved whole world." He replied.  
"It's just luck, talent and Cynder." Spyro kissed his mate. "Without her I wouldn't achieve anything."  
"And how about you, Genesis?" The black dragoness also wanted to hear answer for that question.  
"I and Angelo rose up with never ending fear of apes and..." Genesis bit his tongue, before he would say something that would surely hurt the black dragoness. "...and dreamt about power to stop our enemies. That zeal gave was enough to make us vice-captains." The fire vice-captain sighed with relief stealthily. "That was close." He said to himself. He wasn't very talkative, but he couldn't control his tongue, so he had to be very careful to don't say anything, what he would later surely regret.  
"But shouldn't vice-captains be a little older?" Spyro asked.  
"We've just become vice-captains, actually. About two months ago." Angelo said. "From all candidates we appeared to be the best. I mean not only fighting abilities, but also intelligence and heart." The lightning vice-captain explained proudly. "By the way, I'm still surprised that so young dragons were chosen to be guardians."  
"They not once proved that they deserve that title, didn't they?" Spyro noticed. "And besides that, they're the most harmonious team I ever knew. Especially, when speaking of Tremor and Candice."  
"It's true that they'll never let down each other. And now appears question: what Candice does, if she has to choose between saving Tremor and completing the mission?" Genesis asked with somehow gloomy voice.  
"Tremor is clever. If he knew, there was no other way, would tell her to complete the mission and she'd do it." Spyro said confidently.  
"And it situation was otherwise?" Genesis asked. "Would Tremor let Candice die? Would you let Cynder die, if it would solve problem of Venganza?" The fire breather watched him curiously. The purple dragon understood the Genesis put him to the proof.  
"Never. There are other ways." Spyro refused immediately.  
"And if there wasn't any?" Genesis didn't give up.  
"Trust me, there's always something." Cynder replied this question.  
"Tch. Ignorance." The fire breather said, as if he was the ten-years-older one. "That's why mates shouldn't be guardians. If lady of your heart is in danger, you start thinking irrationally."  
"Is letting your mate die irrationality?" Cynder asked, disgusted with that suggestion.  
"Is provoking situation, when you risk thousands beings for just one, rational?" Genesis riposted with disbelief.  
"Genesis, listen to me." Spyro was deadly serious. "I won't let Cynder die, even if it's going to cost me my life." Genesis tried to refuse, but Spyro interrupted him. "If Cynder would have to die protecting thousands beings, it's only her choice, I am not master of her life. If orders me to let her die, I'll do it. Only then. Understood?" The purple dragon said it with such a voice that Genesis lost whole his confidence, not speaking of will to argue with him. Cynder smiled slightly, proud of her mate.  
"Genesis… Just give up, they're right. Ad you're a little too harsh." Angelo said, shaking his head slowly with disappointment. "The stronger bonds in team are the better team is. And when everyone in team is responsible, there's no need to worry, not even in situation you spoke about." Hearing that argument, Genesis just snorted loudly and beaten wings stronger to fly before the others. Angelo sighed deeply.  
"Don't take this personally." The lightning dragon said to Spyro and Cynder. "Genesis is simply… gloomy. And very strict, when it's about rules. Impatient... Not mentioning that he has very, very bad timing. He never knows when to shut up. And also, he's…" Angelo started enumerating.  
"Thank, Angelo." The fire breather muttered with annoyance.  
"All pleasure is mine!" Angelo grinned.  
"Does he have any advantages?" Cynder asked, joking.  
"Hmm…" Angelo started thinking intensively "There is one. His clever, charming and compellingly handsome brother." The lightning dragon said it, jerking his head proudly.  
"Is he younger or older than you and Genesis?" Spyro asked with sham curiosity. "You're not speaking about yourself, do you?" Everyone burst out with loud laugh hearing that conversation, but Genesis just shook his head with pity for all those childish dragons.  
"Oh, I guess you've just turned his price in pieces." Heaty stated, amused with her mate's aghast.  
"Alright, I didn't expect that." Angelo admitted. "You know how to riposte."  
"And I thought the purple dragon was talented warrior, not jester." Genesis muttered with disbelief.  
All dragons flew in silence for some time, when they reached some field. It was quite big, it had at least one hundred meters of length and width and at one of its verge was small sea of colorful flowers. The grass was short and soft in touch, perfect to sit on it.  
"Let's stay here for a moment." Sue suggested. All dragons agreed with her idea. Spyro and Cynder sat down and started watching stars and hugging gently. Sue and Genesis were sitting about twenty meters from them, whispering something and nuzzling each other. Angelo lay on the ground and enjoyed loveliness of Heaty, who was walking, or rather jumping gracefully like little dragoness and collecting beautiful flowers at the edge of meadow. All six of them quickly lost sense of time. Maybe passed just several minutes, maybe hours. Nothing happened, until Heaty suddenly stopped for a moment. She was holding a bouquet of about fifty small flowers at her paw. She watched the dark forest carefully, sure, she had seen a reflex of light between trees moment earlier. She didn't notice anything suspicious, so just shrugged.  
"Something wrong, sweety?" Angelo asked, seeing, that something attracted her attention. Heaty turned to her mate and shook her head.  
"No. I thought, I saw something, but I'm just sleepy." She blinded several times and yawned deeply. She slowly turned back in the direction of forest. And then she understood what she had seen moment earlier. It was big green blade flying right to her. Heaty shielded her face from sudden attack with talons. That involuntary reaction saved her life. She felt powerful blow of staff and was thrown for about ten meters into the air. Her squeak completely surprised and all dragons saw, what had happened. Angelo watched his mate fearfully. He immediately stood up and caught her, before she fell on the ground. Then from forest appeared creature. It was a grublin, this same as those, who Spyro and Cynder were fighting after Eternal Night, but big one. It was two or three times bigger than them. It had one strangeness more- specific weapon. It was as long as him, half-sword, and half-staff. Grublin started running to get Heaty, but then in front of him appeared all four Spyro, Cynder, Genesis and Sue. The fire vice-captain made a great fireball, which forced enemy to step back and gave dragons time for silent discussion.  
"Spyro, Cynder, take Sue and Heaty back and protect them in case of another enemy." Genesis ordered them. His voice was accustomed to ordering others. Cynder watched the fire breather surprised.  
"But..." She wanted to disagree, but Spyro stopped her.  
"Genesis is right. It's his and Angelo's fight." He noticed. The black dragoness nodded, though she didn't like that idea. Four dragons stood back reluctantly.  
"Are you injured?" Angelo asked Heaty and sighed with relief, when fire dragoness shook her head. He stood next to his brother, between other dragons and the grublin.  
"What strategy this time?" The fire dragon asked.  
"Sword master." Angelo decided.  
"Don't let emotions control you, or you'll die, Angelo." Genesis warned him.  
"Noted." The lightning vice-captain felt his blood was boiling, but he knew, that his brother was right. Grublin was ready to attack.  
"Bring it on!" Angelo shouted loudly. The big fireball flew to the creature, but he protected himself with weapon, whirling it at his paw. Angelo literally appeared behind him and attacked his back. Grublin turned around and blocked dragon's tail with his arm. Meanwhile, the fire breather tried to burn grublin, but his blade was still whirling in the air, though, enemy had already dropped it. The lightning dragon slashed with his paw, enemy caught it too and started widening his arms. Angelo groaned painfully, as grublin tried to rip him to shreds. The lightning dragon released himself using the lightning directed at enemy's chest and flew away with such speed that grublin barely saw that, not speaking of spectators. At this same moment, Genesis caught whirling weapon and threw it somewhere behind himself. He was about to attack enemy's back. Then dragons watching fight saw a thin string attached to grublin's paw and his weapon. Grublin pulled it strongly and the blade started flying back right at fire breather's back. All dragons' hearts skipped a beat.  
"Genesis!" Cynder wanted to run to the fire breather and protect him, but somebody's paw stopped her. Unable to do anything more, she closed eyes not to watch what was about to happen. One second later she heard a sound of the sword going through flesh and several drops of warm liquid crushed at her face.


	16. Escalation

Chapter 16. "Escalation"

The guardians of ice and earth were walking at the lowest level of Teria. Both of them were thinking intensively. Tremor wondered, 'what did Flush say Candice and why was she wearing that gold necklace with white ornaments.' Candice was thinking about her mate and the detective, but couldn't understand why they hated each other so much. She wanted to ask her mate about this, but he started speaking first.  
"Do you think we'll make it in time?" Tremor asked. "After all, we have only seven weeks left before the end of ultimatum."  
"That's quite long, I doubt if we won't make it." Candice assured him.  
"By the way, what is that?" Tremor pointed the medallion hanging at his mate's neck.  
"It's gift from Flush, which I got before leaving Teria. When we connect mine and his own, you can open a sphere to see the description 'Best friends'." Tremor sighed with relief. Flush gave it her much time earlier.  
"That's kind of him." He said, as if he didn't believe his own words.  
"You hate him." His mate stated.  
"What? Of course not. Why do you think so?" He watched her with sham surprise and started laughing as Candice gave him skeptical sight. "Yeah Candy, I hate that guy. And it's not only because of his way of treating you."  
"Do you mean that he mentioned about Gaia?" She guessed.  
"Partly. For me, he's just a egoistic and blind moron." That surprised her. Was there something more between her and Flush that he didn't notice?  
"What do you mean?" Candice asked, dumbstruck.  
"That dragoness, who you were talking about. Ivory, right? I guess she loves Flush?" The ice guardian nodded. "And I'm sure that she didn't tell it him, but shows her love at every opportunity, does she?" Candice nodded again and already knew, what Tremor meant. "Then why is he trying to chase a dream, of him and you and forgets about everything around him? Is he an imbecile or blind?" The dragoness rolled her eyes.  
"You're too strict for him. He's just in love. It's hard to be alright after losing a bond like that, you know it the best." She argued. The earth guardian's thoughts involuntarily concerned on Gaia. In moments like that, he was remembering Douten's words 'sign of the past'. He couldn't forget about her.  
"I accepted it. It was hard to do it, but I did. Besides, the death of a sister in front of you is much more painful than watching your lover leaving."  
"The pain of loss is a pain of loss. You can't say that your one was more painful than his, if you don't know him as well, as for example me." Candice argued. Tremor smiled and kissed her cheek.  
"Alright, I give up." Dragons continued walking, when Tremor noticed something beneath his feet. About five meters underground was complicated system of tunnels. It was everywhere in Teria, but this one was somehow different, as if it was made slapdash. He wanted to ask Candice about that, when they stood before Diego's house. The ice guardian was about to knock at door, when he stopped her.  
"Wait a minute. I'll go to the back of house to make sure, that this fire breather isn't going to do anything stupid." He said. Candice smiled slightly with amusement, as she understood, why he emphasized word 'this'. Tremor disappeared behind wall and the ice dragoness knocked at the door, but heard no reply. She knocked again and once more, all she heard was silence. After two minutes she turned around and was about to walk after Tremor, when she heard noise of opened door and young voice.  
"What a sexy chick visited me." She turned around to see a handsome, several years younger than her fire breather watching her with meaningful sight. She felt her blood boiling, as she understood, why he waited with opening door, until she would turn around. At his fingers of each front paw were two or three rich rings with brilliant jewels, and on his neck was simple gold necklace. "Well, what can I… do for you?" He asked in a suggestive way and smiled insolently. Not thinking much, Candice simply slapped him in his face.  
'Why I am the only one to meet perverts? That wyvern, Diego...' She cursed her bad luck in mind.  
"My name is Candice, the guardian of ice. If you're not going to shut up, I'm going to give you first-hand proof that my title wasn't given me undeservedly." She replied quickly and coldly with hatred even more intensive than the one between Flush and Tremor. That anger surprised and scared Diego a little.  
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. Just kidding. Don't be so serious." He started apologizing, having a feeling that annoying her wasn't a good idea. Candice sighed with relief. Diego wasn't like Atroz. Probably.  
"I guess that you're Diego?" She asked coldly.  
"So you even know my name? I'm sure that you're here for some reason, huh?" The young fire breather asked with hope.  
"Yeah. Do you know any alchemist?" She asked casually. Diego's eyes grew wide and the ice guardian smiled as she saw, that she hit a point. Diego raised his eyes, trying to don't glare at hers.  
"P…please, come in. It's going to r…rain and I don't want so sweet dragoness to c…catch cold." He stumbled silently, as he walked into the house. Candice followed him and they sat at living room. The whole house seemed to show, that Diego's really rich. Beautiful furniture and paintings hanging on walls were everywhere.  
"Beautiful stained glass." Candice pointed about two meters high stained glass showing four dragon guardians: Ignitus, Terrador, Cyril and Volteer.  
"I'm a merchant and it's really easy to get rich in this business." Diego smiled and hoped that she'd believe him, but the dragoness just gave him skeptical look. In Teria that profession wasn't very profitable and she knew that well.  
"Do you know that alchemist?" Candice asked.  
"I…I have no idea, who are you talking about." Diego lied. Candice rolled her eyes annoyed.  
"Douten, the alchemist and also the elder of the eastern city until recently." She explained. Diego shrugged, knowing, that stumbling wasn't making him believable.  
"N…no idea who is he, actually." The fire breather stood up and tried to leave room. "Anything to drink?" He asked casually.  
"Stop, where you are!" Candice ordered him loudly. Diego immediately froze, only several steps before disappearing from her sight. He cursed in mind, she read him through much too quickly. He was ready to attack any second now. The ice dragoness didn't know what to say. Was he going to run away just like that?  
"You're terrible liar, Diego. Several years ago you bought from Douten a lot of equipment, but while delivering it, it was stolen by wyverns. You work with Venganza, don't you?" She guessed. Diego started laughing nervously. He didn't expect Candice being so brutally honest.  
"Well...You're right. I'm the worst liar you've ever met. But still..." He charged a breath attack in his mouth. "...I can do this." Then he turned around and started running away. Candice wanted to chase after him, when Diego made a wall of fire in front of her. The ice dragoness hissed angrily and shot several ice spikes through it. Then she started freezing the fire wall. As she finished, fugitive had already been gone from her view already. But at that moment Candice noticed several drops of his blood at the floor. She sighed deeply and shook her head with disappointment. "Don't tell me that he didn't notice that." She said to herself. She followed the bloody path to find a door to the underground, which was hidden in the kitchen. She walked down to the tunnel. Everywhere around her were burning torches. From that point, there were four tunnels. She guessed, it was complicated labyrinth and she would surely get lost, if she didn't wound Diego. The ice dragoness smiled to herself and followed drops of blood on the ground.

"Damn, that was close." Diego smiled to himself. That whole event made him so excited that he hadn't noticed his bleeding tail earlier. From his escape passed already about quarter. He left cave about half kilometer from the city. "At last, the fresh air, not that terrible smell. I hope she didn't try to follow me in labyrinth, because finding way out will take her a day or two. I better tell someone to go after her." The fire breather sighed with relief. He jumped in the air and started flying. Then, he felt someone's grasp at his tail and he was thrown to the ground. He vainly tried to slow down and crushed painfully at hard rock. The fire breather stood up quickly and turned around to see a green dragon grinning at him. Something in his face expression told Diego, that he couldn't escape.  
"Hi Diego. Looks like you tried to escape, huh?" Stranger asked. Diego was shocked.  
"Who are you? Are you working with that Candice?" The fire breather asked, dumbstruck.  
"My name is Tremor, the earth guardian. And yes, I'm working with Candice." Diego cursed in his mind.  
"H…how have you found me?" The fire breather asked.  
"He's the earth dragon you idiot. He felt your steps in the tunnel." Diego heard female voice. It was somehow familiar. He jerked his head to see Candice leaving tunnel.  
"T...t...that's...im...p...possible! You... H…how did you..." He started stumbling, pointing at her with finger and trying to believe, it was actually happening.  
"Is he such an idiot, or he just pretends?" Candice asked her mate.  
"I'm afraid, he doesn't pretend, sweety. Maybe you'll explain to him, how did you find a way out?" Tremor suggested. Candice watched him suspiciously, doubting, if her mate figured that out.  
"Your tail is bleeding, Diego. I wounded you, when you made that ridiculous wall of fire." She explained and watched Tremor stealthy. Guessing from his confident smile, she guessed, he had figured that out earlier. Meanwhile the fire breather glanced at his tail and cursed.  
"I'm curious, what were you going to do after running away from Candy?" Tremor turned at the young dragon. He didn't ask him to tell them, but ordered.  
"I can tell you this, but nothing more. I was going to find wyverns, who may be somewhere around city and hide from you with them." Tremor smiled to himself. Those were good news. Wyverns were somewhere there.  
"I think, he actually doesn't pretend. He's more idiot, even more than you are." Candice said that, as if she doubted, if was that possible. The earth guardian giggled silently. She couldn't miss so good opportunity. "Don't you understand that wyverns don't need you anymore and they would kill you, if you found them?" The ice guardian asked. "Now tell us everything, you know about them." She ordered. The fire breather cursed whole situation. He said too much already, but they still wanted more information.  
"Or what?" Diego asked, trying to play cocky. Both guardians sighed deeply and rolled their eyes. Then Tremor noticed rings at red dragon's paw.  
"Nice jewelry. It's surely very expensive." His mate smiled devilishly, as she understood his suggestion and grasped Diego's paw. She quickly took off one of rings and started watching it carefully, while walking to a wide stream behind her. Diego's eyes grew wide as he understood, what was going on.  
"No. Don't even..." The ring fell to water and disappeared beneath its surface. "Damn you!"  
"Sorry, I dropped it." Candice apologized. It sounded almost honestly. Even Tremor watched her a bit surprised.  
"I didn't mean to throw it into water." Tremor whispered to her, as she stood next to him.  
"But I did." She replied.  
"I think you pissed him off." He noticed.  
"Not more, than he pissed off me." Candice replied coldly. Tremor smiled and kissed her cheek.  
"Don't ever change."  
"I promised you that already, didn't I?" She nuzzled him. Candice jerked head to watch the fire breather. Diego knew that he couldn't run away or fight. Also, he felt that the ice dragoness was at least mad at him, because of all, what he did to her. "Diego, will you start speaking, or have do I to check out if the rest of your rings sinks as well?" Candice asked. The fire breather sighed deeply. There was no other way.  
"Alright, I'll tell you, what I know."

Meanwhile, tens kilometers from Teria, in Venganza's camp all Vengantimos were summoned by Primero. At his side was lying Vixen, before him stood two wyverns: Sable and Icey.  
"Only we four are left in the eastern city, Primero. And Vixen." Icey stated.  
"I know, Icey, but that's enough for now." His boss assured him.  
"Primero, I'm worried, that we lost too much of Vengantimos already. Tero and Raigo disappeared several years ago, now we lost Crue... We need to be careful and stop splitting up." That opinion surprised Sable.  
"What do you mean?" Cuarto asked curiously. Icey rolled his eyes annoyed, as he heard such a stupid question from his best friend.  
"I mean, that Atroz and Viento should leave Leafen right now. They don't stand a chance against Spyro and Cynder, who defeated Malefor. And also, Brute, Octava and Decimo shouldn't fight Tremor and Candice in Teria. The ice guardian has too much friends there, for example that problematic detective, Flush. What I'm implying is that this plan gives us no chance for success."  
"You still don't know whole my plan, Icey. I give you and Sable your mission today." Primero seemed to not care about his subordinate's opinion at all.  
"And what about me?" Espejo materialized next to Sable and joined the conversation. Neither Sable nor Icey noticed when he came in.  
"You are going to stay here and train." Primero replied. The wyvern couldn't believe that news.  
"But...Primero...I can fight. I already had several fights with dragons and proved my worth."  
"No objections, Espejo. In time they will be getting ready to kill our enemies, you will train." Primero ordered. Espejo sighed deeply.  
"Understood. Can I leave then?" He asked.  
"You're dismissed." Primero said. Espejo just disappeared. Both Sable and Icey barely saw him leaving. Sable's eyes grew wide. "Is he really so fast?" He asked himself. Primero smiled as he watched surprised subordinates.  
"Sable, Icey, this is your mission. You have to kill four dragons, who are in this city. Those are guardians of lightning and fire and their mates. Understand, Icey, that this separation makes killing guardians much easier. That's why we're splitting up."  
"I see." Icey said, still unconvinced about this plan.  
"Icey, who of them you want to kill?" The lightning user asked his friend.  
"Sable, choose first."  
"Icey, you're stronger than me. You can choose first." Sable argued.  
"We're friends and I owe you a favor." Icey replied. Cuarto just shrugged.  
"Alright then. I'll deal with Stella and Infernus." Cuarto decided. Icey perfectly knew reason of that choice.  
"You want to see levedad paso, don't you?" He guessed. Sable nodded.  
"As the lightning user, I won't miss a chance fighting the dragoness as fast as famous Teria's Sparkles." Sable explained.  
"Primero, how much time do we have?" Icey turned back to his boss.  
"Three weeks. You're dismissed now." Both wyverns nodded and left. "And you, Vixen..." The black dragoness lifted her head and opened eyes, yawning deeply meanwhile. Primero smiled warmly to his adopted daughter. "I have mission for you too."

Flush, Tremor, Candice, Sierra and Tundra were eating their dinner in awkward silence. From bottom of her heart, Candice wanted to make Flush and Tremor start normal conversation, even about a trivial subject, such as, why at the table were only fruits.  
"Don't you ever eat meat?" Candice asked. The detective replied with loud laugh.  
"Of course I do. I just have really much of fruits and I have to eat them until they are still fresh. Don't worry, I haven't expected so many of visitors and that are my last fruits now, so tomorrow there surely will be meat." He explained.  
"Oh, I see..."  
"So, was meeting that fire breather successful, sweety?" Flush asked, while smiling insolently to Tremor. The earth guardian felt his blood boiling. Three dragons were sitting at the table and eating dinner in dining room. Tundra and Sierra, who had already finished it, were playing at the corridor, not caring about adults.  
"He tried to run, but we caught him. He told us everything he knew." Candice answered, while sending her mate begging sight to calm him down.  
"Yeah." The earth dragon decided to join the conversation. "He was forced to buy whole that equipment. There were eleven kinds of gems, which meant there were eleven members of Venganza. He got a lot of money thanks for that deal. That's why he's so rich. He also said, that we should contact with Mar and Fuerzo, but it may be dangerous. In the city there still may be Vengantimos."  
"We will talk with those two, Flush. I don't want you to do something so risky." Candice suggested, but Flush just smiled in reply.  
"Don't worry about me, sweety. I'll do it and there's no need to worry. "He assured her.  
"You should be more careful. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." The ice guardian tried to persuade him.  
"Don't worry about me. You need my help as detective and I'm not going to let you down."  
"He will be fine, mom. Mr. Flush made a lot of dangerous missions already." Tundra said. Candice watched her daughter with surprise.  
"How do you know that?" She asked.  
"Mr. Flush told us, he had fought a grublin!" Young ice dragoness said with admiration.  
"Yeah, he's incredible!" The ice guardian laughed, while eating, and started choking, when Sierra said that. Tremor poked gently her back, so she could breath normally now.  
"So you were fighting a grublin?" Candice asked the detective.  
"It was almost twice bigger than me. After the duel I was intensively bleeding, my right arm was crushed and I had tens of wounds covering my whole body, even throat. Dragon, who had to pay me for helping him, just left me all alone in some damn forest tens kilometers from city. I barely survived there."  
"How?" Candice asked curiously, ignoring Tremor's disappointed whisper "So close again".  
"Ivy. She found me barely alive, killed wolves, who had just appeared, and healed me. Just to keep me alive at first night she used so much magic that she couldn't stand up next day. Next morning, it appeared that I was seriously ill, so she took me at her back and flew with me to the city. She exhausted herself so much that she spent in a hospital next three weeks. I still can't believe she actually managed to save me." He explained. Candice smiled slightly. Flush indeed was blind. Then she noticed her mate, who was yawning lowly. She thought that only she noticed that and his whisper "What an idiot." But Flush also heard that.  
"Any problem, Tremor?" The fire breather asked angrily, filling last word with contempt the best he could. The earth guardian's cockiness was already unbearable for him.  
"There is only one. You, moron." Tremor replied. Candice tried to interfere and calm them both down, but Flush was faster.  
"Enough!" The fire breather stood up and glared at Tremor in such a way, as if he wanted to kill him. In Candice's mind appeared thought that he actually wanted to do that. "I challenge you, Tremor." Flush said. Candice watched the detective dumbstruck. Tremor just laughed.  
"Are you sure, you want me to kick your tail?" The earth guardian couldn't believe that the fire breather was serious.  
"I challenge you. You won't manage to even touch me, pebble-brain." Flush was giving his best to provoke him. And he succeeded.  
"Alright then." Tremor stood face to face with Flush only several centimeters from him, ready for a fight. Candice watched them both carefully. They were deadly serious about that fight.  
"Tremor, don't tell me, you'll accept that challenge." The ice guardian hoped in mind that he would change his mind. She wasn't worried about him, but Flush. She knew that the fire breather didn't stand a chance.  
"Where and when?" Tremor asked, ignoring her. Candice sighed deeply in surrender.  
"Now. Behind house, there's enough place for a duel." The fire breather thirsted for this moment since their first meeting.  
"Stop you both!" The ice dragoness tried to calm them down. "Stop behaving like hatchlings. I know, you don't like each other but this isn't the solu..."  
"Don't interfere." The detective said to Candice coldly. The dragoness watched her mate with pleasing sight.  
"Stand back, Candy. He wants a fight, he'll have it." Tremor agreed with Flush. That was only point, where they had these same opinions. Two males left house and stood at Flush's training area. It wasn't big, but just enough for a duel. Candice sat down on the ground, right next to the door, youngsters were sent to their room, so, to their disappointment, they couldn't see fight. Tremor and Flush stood face to face.  
"So, what are the rules?" Tremor asked.  
"Last standing wins." Flush decided. The earth guardian smirked. That was an answer, he expected.  
"Tremor." Candice called her mate and he turned around. "Just don't kill each other." The earth dragon smirked and bobbed his head once. Flush didn't wait for the guardian to turn around. Oppositely, he quickly jumped in the air and shot several fireballs from above. Tremor narrowed that attack and slowly avoided all fireballs. Then, just to annoy enemy, he yawned deeply. He jumped in the air. The fire breather dove to him, but the guardian avoided Flush easily, caught his tail and threw down to the ground. As detective crushed at the square, he got an earth bullet in his back. Flush groaned painfully. Tremor landed several meters from him.  
"That's it, Flush?" He asked with disappointment. Flush released the stream of fire, but Tremor created before himself a wall of the earth. The earth guardian watched flames surrounding his shield. "This way you won't even touch me, Flush!" He said, grinning insolently.  
"You…" Flush hissed silently and jumped at wall of earth, trying to surprise him. Tremor was already waiting for him. He caught the fire breather's throat and brought him to the ground. Flush groaned painfully. Tremor turned around and walked away.  
"Still standing or you give up?" He asked. Flush screamed madly and jumped to him, knocking him down. They both fell on the ground and rolled. Eventually, Flush was at Tremor. Candice couldn't see that, so the detective tried to stab Tremor's throat with talons. The guardian leaned his head at side and felt, how sharp talons scratched his neck. Tremor pushed the enemy away and hit his face with his clubbed tail. There could be heard a nasty noise of breaking jaw. The earth guardian hit the enemy's hind legs with his tail knocking him out. Before Flush reacted, the guardian caught his throat and pushed him back to the ground. He was squeezing him so strongly, the fire breather barely could breath. Tremor enclosed his head to him. "I could kill you now. Just like you tried to do. But thank Candice that you're still alive." He whispered and dropped him scornfully. The earth guardian bluffed, he wouldn't kill him no matter what, but Flush couldn't know that. Tremor walked away to his mate. The fight was over.  
"You have a wound on your neck." Candice noticed.  
"No worries, I'm fine." The earth guardian nuzzled her and went to home. Candice followed Tremor. She didn't give Flush even the slightest glance. The fire breather was lying on the ground humbled by dragon he hated at most from the whole world. And his pride, burnt to ashes, hurt Flush even more than his jaw or throat. He wished Tremor was dead. From bottom of heart, he desired to lay that cocky moron in his grave.


	17. Helping paw

Chapter 17. "Helping paw"

Genesis and Angelo were fighting the grublin and Spyro, Cynder, Heaty and Sue watched whole happening. The green creature was standing with his back to four not fighting dragons. While Angelo was facing enemy, his brother, Genesis, caught grublin's whirling sword and threw it behind himself. "Now, sword may be attached or not." He said to himself. The grublin made almost imperceptible gesture by arm. "Attached." He heard Cynder's scream, which ensured him he was right. Then Genesis jumped into the air, right above the blade. Angelo smiled as he saw, what was going to happen and jumped back.  
"Open your eyes, Cynder." The black dragoness heard Heaty's voice. That was her paw, which stopped her from helping Genesis. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Genesis and Angelo were flying upon the grublin, who was pierced by his own weapon. Then Genesis released the stream of fire in enemy's back, where was stuck his staff and Angelo did this same with lightning at enemy's front. There was big explosion and lots smoke. The black dragoness watched Heaty with blaming sight.  
"Why did you stop me?" She asked with regrets. Heaty just smiled, the one to answer was Sue.  
"Because we know that until they have strategy, they just can't die." She said.  
"Yeah. Their sword master strategy put ice in my veins too, when I saw it first time, but now I trust them completely." Heaty added and smiled, seeing that Cynder was still shocked. Spyro nuzzled his mate.  
"You should calm down, Cynder. Everything's fine now." The black dragoness sighed deeply.  
„I guess so." She replied silently, still a little aghast.  
"Of course, he's right. We turned that guy into ash." Genesis said to all spectators, next to him stood Angelo. Behind them still was a big cloud of smoke. The lightning vice-captain walked to Heaty and nuzzled her.  
"Are you alright?" He asked her.  
"That's nothing serious." She assured him. Then, Cynder saw blade, which flew from smoke right to them. She jumped in front of all dragons and blocked staff with her tailblade, sending it right above others. Next, she beaten wings strongly. The wind that she made blown away whole smoke from the field. All dragons saw that grublin was still staying. Burnt seriously, pierced by his sword, lost his weapon, but still alive.  
"Genesis, Angelo, always make sure5 that enemy's dead, or he will have an advantage. Will you take him, or I do have to do it?" Cynder asked. The lightning vice-captain sighed deeply with annoyance. His face expression was saying, "Why they never give up?"  
"Let's finish this. Which strategy this time, Angelo?" Genesis asked.  
"Air." Angelo decided.  
"Alright." The grublin wanted to run to dragons, but then Angelo jumped in the air and appeared half a meter before him. The vice-captain stood at his front paws and bounced from the ground, giving a powerful kick in enemy's jaw. The creature, while being sent in the air, tried to catch the dragon, but then he noticed the fire breather upon him and protected his head from intensive fire with arms, which immediately started burning. Next, Angelo reached the ground and bounced from it with a high speed to the grublin. The green creature did not even notice, when lightning dragon flew right before him, slashing all his limbs, torso and head with talons of arms, legs and his tailblade. The creature almost caught him this time, but then felt terrible pain at his back as Genesis stabbed him with tailblade and charged most powerful fireball he could.  
"Farewell." He whispered and released it into the enemy. Blast threw grublin away and the lightning dragon flew in front of the creature. Then, with strong swing of tail, he cut off his head. Both vice-captains landed in front of the black dragoness.  
"Is that enough, Cyn?" The lightning dragon asked.  
"I think so." Then she understood completely his sentence. "How did you call me?"  
"Cyn." He repeated his words and understood mistake.  
"Don't use that. Never. It's awkward."  
"Alright." He agreed reluctantly.  
"Maybe let's go back to the city. That grublin crushed whole romantic atmosphere of this forest for me." Spyro suggested. The black dragoness laughed loudly and nodded, admitting with her mate.  
"Yeah. Let's go back." She agreed. All six dragons started flying back to Leafen.  
"You're quite fast, Angelo, even as for the lightning dragon." Cynder noticed.  
"Well, I can't refuse that." Angelo replied.  
"Are you one of Sparkle?" She asked curiously.  
"N…not exactly. I was trained to be Sparkle, but then, luckily, war ended. I finished my training and now I'm using those skills in fight." He explained.  
"But why don't you use it all the time, but just sometimes?" Spyro asked.  
"It's easy to keep the speed, if you're already in move. However, sudden accelerating is very exhausting, actually. Sparkles are supposed to scamper forward. To suddenly change direction, I have to stop and then speed up once again. If I used it all the time, five minutes and I'd be done." He explained.  
"Oh. So it has its disadvantages after all." Cynder said with disappointment.  
"Yes, there are two or three of them." Angelo admitted.  
"Spyro, Cynder…" Sue called them. "I have birthday tomorrow, there'll be small party in my house, so I invite you." She said. "If you want to come, of course." Sue added after several seconds.  
"Of course we do." Spyro assured her. "Will it be in your house?" He guessed.  
"Mhm. But you don't know, where it is, do you?" Both Spyro and Cynder shook their heads.  
"We'll go after them, when we'll be going to you." Heaty offered.  
"So, when will it be?" Spyro asked.  
"Tomorrow at the afternoon. Wait for Angelo and Heaty in dad's house." Sue told her. "Oh, by the way, here it is." The earth dragoness pointed a building beneath them. It was Fervor's house indeed.  
"We'll be going then. See you tomorrow!" All dragons bided the couple goodbye and Spyro and Cynder dove to land before the house. They quietly came in, or at least tried to do so. However, creaking door was not helping them at all. Everybody was sleeping already, so they had to be careful not to wake anyone up. After ten minutes, they were already lying in their bed. Spyro hugged his mate and covered her with wing. They spent like that fifteen minutes, but neither of them could fall asleep, lost in thoughts. Then Spyro stood up. Cold wind from window against Cynder's scales caused creeps across whole her body.  
"Something happened, sweety?" She asked with sleepy voice. Spyro kissed her cheek.  
"Don't stand up. I'll be back in five minutes." He assured her. Then the purple dragon left room. He sat down at the balcony and started watching city covered in darkness of night. Then he noticed the black dragoness staying at the stairs.  
"I told you, I'm just coming back." He said, surprised a little. Cynder sat next to him and hugged him.  
"Neither can I sleep. What are you wondering about?" The black dragoness asked him, her sight also turned at the city. There still was a light in only several houses and at the city walls. Most of city was sleeping already.  
"How will we find that dragon? It's too big city to just accidently meet him at the street. We have even no idea, how does he look like. We know only a name and element." Spyro started worrying. They hugged each other lovingly. The purple dragon smiled with pleasure as he felt soft scales of her neck against his chest.  
"Angelo and Genesis will help us, so it won't take long. They surely know a lot of dragons." Cynder suggested.  
"I think I can help you." Both dragons jumped, startled, as they heard voice behind them. They jerked their heads to see, who that was. Right behind them was staying the old fire breather, giggling silently in the way completely unusual for such old dragon.  
"Fervor?" Spyro looked at him surprised. "I thought you were sleeping." The fire breather shook his head.  
"Well, I'm not. Sorry for interrupting your intimate moment, but I also couldn't sleep and still was thinking, how could I help you." He explained himself.  
"That's kind of you. You didn't have to do it..." The black dragoness thanked him.  
"Cynder, I have two free rooms, that's not problem, but great honor to let you stay here. This, what I did until now was nothing."  
"You still don't need to help us. We can do it for our own." Spyro assured him. Fervor sighed deeply and shook his head slowly. It looked, as if Spyro and Cynder were students of old, experienced mentor and they had just said something very disappointing. Spyro immediately felt that he was just a youngster.  
"Young purple dragon, five minutes ago you said completely opposite things. By the way, do you know, what kind of favor did Tremor do for me?" Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, but no one remembered that earth guardian would say that. Both dragons shook their heads.  
"What was it?" Spyro asked curiously.  
"Angelo and Genesis were much younger and inexperienced, when Tremor and another guardians visited city. Though it still was risky, they were in forest. Then, they were attacked by ambush. They had no chance to survive, when the earth guardian appeared from nowhere and easily killed all enemies. My sons spent a week in beds and Tremor hadn't simple scratch."  
"But they're not so bad actually." The purple dragon refused. Cynder nodded, confirming her mate's words.  
"True. Today, when we were in forest, Heaty was attacked by about twice bigger from her grublin. Angelo and Genesis killed it without any problem. Their teamwork is impressive." Cynder explained. The fire breather nodded with content.  
"Indeed, they are learning really quickly. Anyway, you're looking for that Glimmer, aren't you?" Dragons nodded. "I can help you. I know some good detectives in this city. How about I will recruit them to help you finding that fellow? They will give you a possible localization and you will check it. This will save you a lot of time and effort." Fervor offered.  
"Are you sure, you want to help us? It may be dangerous to help us with Venganza." Cynder warned him.  
"Cynder..."The fire breather laughed, obviously amused with that argument. „ I don't know, who or what that Venganza is, but I know that when my sons were in danger, Tremor hadn't any doubts, what to do for even a second, he just did it. And I feel that I should repay my debt." Fervor argued. "Besides, as dragon, I shall never refuse to help, when someone needs it."  
"Fine then. Thank you. Finding that dragon is very important for us." With that news, Spyro immediately became very optimistic. Only one day and they had achieved so much.  
"All pleasure is mine. Good night and don't stay at balcony for too long or you'll catch cold." The fire breather said with usual for father care. He was about to leave them, when he turned around and glared at pair of dragons. "Spyro, Cynder... You are such perfect couple. Take care of each other and do not let your mate happen anything bad. Especially now. Those are dangerous times for your two." Fervor warned them. They nodded and the fire breather smiled warmly and disappeared from their view. After ten minutes of watching stars, purple dragon glanced at Cynder.  
"You know, I find Fervor somehow… familiar. It feels, as if I've met him somewhere before, as if he was someone very…close to me. Like Ignitus, but it's still not this same." He confessed.  
"Like father?" Cynder guessed.  
"Somehow." Spyro admitted.  
"I feel this same way." The black dragoness admitted. "Now the question is, if it's your dad or mine. You know, we can't have this same father." Cynder grinned, amused with her joke.  
"Mine. But you can call him dad too." Spyro said with serious voice and both of them laughed silently. Then, Cynder sighed sadly. "Something wrong?" The purple dragon asked with worries.  
"It's just… I wish I knew my parents. I don't even know how they looked like."  
"Well, you're not alone." Spyro whispered. Cynder's words put him in such melancholic mood…  
"But we have to live on. Remember about those, who are gone, but don't forget about present. Especially not now." Cynder stated, trying to forget about her sign of the past.  
"True." Spyro admitted silently.  
"Spyro, what would you do, if we were in this same situation, as twelve years ago? I mean, when we fought Malefor, would you let Ignitus do it? Flying into the Ring of Fire." She asked.  
"No. If I knew, how this would end up, I'd never let him go." The purple dragon refused.  
"I guess he would find a way to persuade us." Cynder noticed. "He was much too wise to be stopped by such hatchlings as us."  
"True." Spyro admitted. "If only I have met him earlier. Though he was my mentor, I didn't know him at all. The longer I think about him, the more questions I have."  
"And what should I say?" Cynder asked. "Though I knew him for only a moment, I was sure, he was someone very special."  
"When I think of this now, I should have spent more time with Chronicler. I could read some of his past… and future. If only I had more time…" He blamed himself.  
"I'm so troublesome dragoness, am I not?" Cynder asked, half-joking. "You have to save me all the time."  
"Don't say like that. I saved you just once or twice…" Spyro refused.  
"And which one do you mean?" She asked sarcastically. "When I was almost sucked in Convexity, caught by Gaul, moment later, when Well of Souls was about to collapse on our heads or maybe when Liun discovered, I wasn't on his side? Not speaking of saving whole world, when it was about to tear apart." Cynder enumerated.  
"Well, mountain's collapsing was my fault wasn't it? Idea of stopping Destroyer using the dame was yours. If not you, I would never win against Liun. And also, you gave me strength to fight against Malefor, though I thought, there was nothing to fight for left." The purple dragon argued.  
"There always is something." Cynder repeated words, she said twelve years earlier. She sighed nostalgically. "I'll never forget this sentence." The black dragoness smiled to memories.  
"Neither will I." Spyro agreed.  
"You know, when I was released from Malefor's influence, I felt so tempting need to hug you strongly and kiss with thankfulness for not letting darkness control me anymore. The truth is that I stopped just because I thought it could be a little…improper at that moment. You know... that epic atmosphere… " She confessed. Spyro laughed silently.  
"Yeah, that could be awkward a little." He admitted.  
"But when I think about this now…" Cynder giggled silently in exactly this same, childish way, as Vixen. In Spyro's mind appeared thought that they two would make good sisters actually. "I wonder, what would be Malefor's face like, if I did it." She wondered. Spyro laughed, trying to imagine himself that.  
"It would be priceless. And that's only word, which can describe it."  
"Indeed." Cynder agreed. Leaning against her mate, she slowly started drifting away. She closed her eyes and smiled blissfully.  
"Maybe we should go sleeping to our bedroom?" Spyro suggested. The black dragoness just nestled on his chest in comfortable position, listening carefully to his slow heartbeat. This slow melody was best lullaby she could imagine.  
"With you at my side, it doesn't matter, where I sleep." She replied silently and fell asleep. Spyro smiled with understanding. She surely was exhausted because of happenings of that day, just like him. The purple dragon was too good-hearted to wake her up, so he just covered her from wind by wing, kissed her lips and closed his eyes to sleep too. Cynder muttered with gladness, as she felt warmth of his body surrounding her.  
"Sleep well, sweety." Spyro whispered to her ear, before drifting away.


	18. Old and new friendships

Chapter 18. "Old and new friendships"

From Tremor and Flush's duel at guardians' first day in Teria had already passed a week. Now, Candice, Tremor and their daughters were walking across the city. The ice guardian, as Sierra and Tundra, was really excited about their visit, but her mate was a bundle of nerves.  
"You look like it wasn't a visit, but death sentence, Tremor." Candice noticed, trying not to burst out with loud laugh.  
"Dad, you shouldn't be so scared." Tundra couldn't understand why her father was in such a bad mood.  
"I'm not scared." The earth guardian refused. „It's just stress." He explained, resentful with such a suggestion.  
"When facing wolves or wyverns, there's no problem. But when it's about my parents, you're shaking from fear." Candice sighed deeply and shook her head with disbelief.  
"I am happy, but by the soul." Tremor refused. "And the body thinks it would be much better time for first visit like that about..." Tremor wondered for a while. "About ten years earlier. I have feelings, that they may not be pleased, when they hear all those news by sudden." He stated. "From what I know, you haven't seen them for quite long time."  
"Yeah, quite long…" Candice agreed silently, trying to avoid precise answer. When she was thinking of that, she also started worrying.  
"How long?" Tremor asked with curiosity.  
"Twelve years." She said. The earth guardian watched her with disbelief. "You see, when I was about to go to Warfang, I had a serious quarrel with my parents. In effect, they went on the two-month-journey and I didn't even say goodbye. I started training in Warfang and had no news about them at all. At first, I was sure that they just don't want to talk to me, waiting for apologize, but after three months Ivory said that my parents had simply disappeared somewhere at the east. I really wanted to go search for them, but I simply couldn't, you know, whole that training. When I was about to ask guardians for permission to leave, there appeared Liun. And then, as guardian, I had no time to search for them." She explained.  
"Couldn't you tell us? We'd go there and find them." Tremor said.  
"Go where?" Candice asked, in her voice, there could be heard from the years before. "Somewhere at the east? Besides that, I was sure, they were dead. If I had to spend whole months living with hope to see them again, just to find bones of my parents… No. I…I preferred to just forget." She felt ashamed of herself for such attitude, but speaking about that lifted weight off her mind.  
"You could at least tell us." Tremor said. He wasn't blaming her, but making sure that he'd help her finding her parents. "You know, friends multiply joys and split sorrows. It would be much easier for you."  
"I know it now. " She admitted. "But I didn't want to face their death, especially not after I almost lost you. I was simply scared. But I won't fail them anymore." She promised.  
"Well, they're back now, so there's no need to think about this anymore. Now, only problem is, if your parents accept me. You know, if you keep calling me an idiot, they won't have good opinion about me." Tremor grinned silly and Candice couldn't help smiling too.  
"No worries about that. Only thing, they will complain about is: Why were you waiting so long, Candice?" The ice guardian sighed with melancholy. "I'm their only daughter after all and they really wanted me to find a mate. You have no idea, how many troubles with Flush it brought me." She explained.  
"Yeah, they'll surely be pleased." The earth guardian repeated sarcastically. "And Flush didn't do anything stupid." He noticed. Candice was about to reply, when she heard angry hiss from behind. All four of them turned around to see a purely white dragoness. Only her talons, ends of wings and the tailblade were darkened. Her eyes were glowing with weak azure light, she made such a pose, as if she was preparing to attack.  
"Candice." The white dragoness literally hissed that word. Then, Tremor understood, who she was. That was dragoness, who Flush and Candice had mentioned about, the one, who loved Flush from bottom of heart. And her name was...  
"Ivory." The ice guardian said coldly. "Good to see you, friend." Those words didn't fit to her tone at all.  
"Friend?" Ivory whispered with disbelief. Her eyes started glowing more intensively. "Don't you dare calling me like that, you vile traitor!" The white dragoness started running to the ice guardian with obvious point to attack her.  
"Tremor, don't do a thing." Candice whispered to her mate. He nodded, though reluctantly. Ivory was only two meters from Candice now. She swung her paw, about to slash Candice Then, she stopped just it several centimeters from her eyes, but the guardian didn't even twitch. Two dragonesses were watching each other angrily. Then, Ivory put her paw back on the ground.  
"Oh..." She sighed sadly. "Seems like I'll never scare you in this way, will I?" Ivory asked with sadness and almost unnoticeable jealous.  
"Looks like you'll not." Candice agreed. "Good to see you again, Ivory." Dragonesses hugged friendly each other.  
"Yeah, good to have you back." Ivory agreed.  
"You know, I think, you've actually terrified Candy." Tremor stated. "She was so scared, she couldn't even twitch, though she really wanted to run away." The earth guardian smiled silly. "I could read that in her eyes."  
"That idiot is Tremor, my mate." Candice paid him back, while introducing him. "And those are our daughters, Sierra and Tundra." Two youngsters bowed slightly, Ivory smiled, though she obviously was envy.  
"You're too harsh for him, Candice." Ivory stated. "For me, he seems to be a clever person." She started judging the earth guardian, watching him carefully.  
"Nope, he's an idiot." The ice guardian assured her friend. "You'll meet him better, you'll understand."  
"You'll never change, Candice." Ivory stated. "You're too harsh for males."  
"You know, I'm the ice guardian, rather cold person." Candice noticed.  
"I'm an ice dragoness too, but I'm not so cold. If I had mate, I'd treat him much better." The white dragoness riposted.  
"Because you're an exception to every rule, Ivory. An ice user, as spontaneous, as ordinary fire breather. A matured dragoness, as shy, as a youngster. No talent in elements, but, as I heard, elite wizard." Candice started enumerating. Ivory hung her head with surrender.  
"So, where are you going?" The white dragoness changed a subject of the conversation, not really wanting to argue about this subject any longer.  
"We're going to my parents." Candice explained.  
"They surely won't hold up happiness, having an opportunity to meet your mate and daughters. My mom can't wait to hear this same news about me." Ivory said, trying to hide her envy.  
"Oh, here goes your future-mate, Ivory." Tremor said casually and pointed Flush. Then, Ivory blushed immediately. "My fault." The earth guardian tried not to laugh.  
"It's not funny." Ivory whispered resentfully and tried to stop flushing.  
"I think you should be a fire dragoness. Red scales would be priceless for you, Ivory." Tremor smiled silly and the white dragoness prodded him between his ribs. The guardian hissed painfully and Candice giggled silently. Ivory had to teach her that blow, she would use it often. Very often.  
"Good morning everyone." Flush said, as he stood between Ivory and Candice. "Ivory, why are you always blushing, when I'm around?" The detective asked and Tremor laughed loudly.  
"Can I talk with you face to face, Tremor?" Ivory asked the earth guardian.  
"Sure." Tremor smiled, though he had bad feelings about that. Then, he turned to Sierra and Tundra. "Look carefully Mr. Flush. If he calls mom "sweety", call me immediately." Both youngsters nodded.  
"No problem, dad." They said, simultaneously. Then, they turned at Flush and started staring at him carefully. Tremor grinned, watching them, when Ivory poked him.  
"Are you going?" She asked impatiently. The earth guardian followed her. When Flush and Candice couldn't hear them, the white dragoness started.  
"No more comments about me and Flush, when he's around. Please, I hate flushing." She said with begging voice.  
"Understood. You're really fond of him, aren't you?" Tremor asked.  
"I am. For him, I can do anything. Even sacrifice my own life."  
"Do you only say so, or you've already proved it?" The earth guardian jerked his head curiously.  
"I guess, you heard from Flush, how I've saved him once?" He nodded. "While healing him, I was planning to die to save him. I'm alive only by miracle." She said proudly. "It's so ironic, that I can die for him, but can't say him two words, isn't it?" Now, her voice was sad.  
"How long does it keep on like that?" The earth guardian guessed.  
"Long. Very long. Since I started noticing boys as someone more than just friends, I'm dreaming only about Flush. No one else, but just him. But unfortunately, he loves Candice." Ivory looked as if she was going to start crying any second.  
"But why him? Couldn't you choose anyone else? There are so many other dragons."  
"Well, love is blind. And you are best proof of that. You know, half year after going to Warfang, Candice sent me a letter. I remember that she mentioned about you, as..." The white dragoness considered for a while. "Anyway, it was the longest bunch of swear words I've ever heard. And now? You're such perfect couple for ten years already."  
"I can't believe that Flush is so blind. Why everyone around knows that you love him, but he doesn't? He's an idiot." Tremor stated. "And as detective, he should be rather clever."  
"You hate him, don't you?" Ivory stated obvious fact. She barely managed to don't shout at Tremor after he offended Flush, but she didn't show a simple sign of that.  
"Yeah, from bottom of my heart. He challenged me at duel and I broke his jaw." Tremor said proudly, before beating his tongue.  
"What?!" Ivory asked, outraged. Tremor sighed deeply. It looked like Flush was too proud to even mention her about his loss.  
"Hey, easy. Before I did it, he tried to kill me, so..." He tried to calm her down.  
"So what?! You've broken his jaw?!" She repeated her question, even angrier than before.  
"Well, no doubts that you love him." Tremor smirked. After several seconds Ivory smiled too. "You should tell it him." He stated. "Don't you think you're waiting a little too long?"  
"Every time, I want to do it, I can't. He's so abashing." She hung her head sadly.  
"Well, someone will have to tell it him instead you." Tremor said, as if he was speaking to himself.  
"No!" Ivory immediately refused. "You wouldn't do that!" She watched him doubtfully. "Would you?" She asked silently, unsure, as she watched his insolent grin.  
"Well..." Tremor was about to answer, when he heard his mate calling them. She had a perfect timing. "Candy calls, come on." He turned around, leaving dumbstruck dragoness behind. Ivory quickly caught up with him.  
"Tremor? Would you do that?" The white dragoness repeated question with dread written on her face, but the guardian just smiled silly.  
"You better hurry up. You don't want me to be first, do you?" He asked, avoiding answer.  
"How charming." Ivory muttered.  
"Tremor, let's go." Candice told her mate when he and Ivory stood next to her. "See you soon." She turned to Flush and Ivory.  
"Goodbye Ivory." The earth guardian farewell her ignoring Flush and the detective paid him back in his own coin. Tremor, Candice and their daughters continued walking.  
"You know, I already like Ivory." The earth dragon confessed to his mate. "Almost as much, as much I hate Flush."  
"If not word almost, I'd say, you're in love." Candice replied.  
"Is my and Flush's relationship really so bad?" Tremor asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Yes. They would be an excellent couple. They complement each other perfectly, don't they?" The ice guardian noticed.  
"Yes, they do." Tremor admitted.  
"So, you're still scared of my parents?" She asked and smiled.  
"No, not anymore." The earth guardian grinned confidently. "Let's do it." He said with such a voice, as if he was going to face whole army of wolves.

"Alright, maybe I'm scared, but just a little." Tremor whispered to Candice, as they stood before her parents' house. Candice smiled.  
"And what am I supposed to say?" She asked, as she knocked at door.  
"Just run, I'll cover you." Tremor suggested, joking.  
"Who knows, maybe it's not so bad idea?" Candice admitted. And then, door opened. Two guardians and they daughters saw the old ice dragon. His scales had exactly this same color as Candice's, his feature was almost this same as her, but with long scar at cheek he looked much colder and strict than her. It was Candice's father, without any doubts. He watched carefully the newcomers. His sight stopped for a longer moment at Candice.  
"We've met somewhere, didn't we?" He asked.  
"You know, Candy, I think that he actually could be your father." Tremor said casually, giving him obvious suggestion.  
"Candice?" The old ice dragon asked her with disbelief. She bobbed her head once and before she said a word, her father hugged her strongly. "Dear ancestors!" He shouted with overflowing happiness, as he nuzzled her. "My little daughter!" In that moment, all worries immediately disappeared from Candice's head. Tear of joy left her eye. "Merrill, come here quickly!"  
"Who is that, Wintry?" They heard a female voice.  
"Just come and see!" Candice's father called her. The ice dragoness walked down the stairs and run to the door, Tremor watched her carefully. She looked different than Candice, but she had exactly these same eyes as her and walked in this same way. Candice's mom quickly understood who was the newcomer and also hugged her daughter.  
"Mom, dad, I'm so sorry! I should have searched for you and..." Candice starts apologizing with tears in her eyes.  
"That's fine." Wintry interrupted her. "It was rather our fault than yours."  
"And we're all together again, so let's just forget about this all." Candice's mother suggested. Tremor smiled, seeing his mate joyful and happy. Then he felt a pang of jealousy, as he thought, how much he'd give, just to meet his parents too. Tremor quickly got rid of that thought and let Candice's joy overwhelm him.  
"And those are..." Wintry started, as he and Merrill stopped hugging their daughter. Both old dragons watched Tremor, Sierra and Tundra carefully.  
"Yes, this is my mate, Tremor, and daughters, Sierra and Tundra." Candice explained them with tune of pride.  
"Come to grandma, kids." Merrill called them. Both youngsters ran to her and hugged their grandparents. The ice dragoness smiled fondly, as she stroked heads of her granddaughters.  
"Oh... They are so charming…" She whispered.  
"And you are Tremor, the earth guardian, as I heard." Wintry stated.  
"Yes…" Tremor nodded, searching for right word in his mind meanwhile.  
"Call me dad." The old ice dragon asked him.  
"…Dad." The earth guardian finished. Wintry watched him carefully.  
"I heard that the earth guardian was more… courageous." He said.  
"He is, dad." Candice said. "He's just embarrassed a little."  
"I see." Wintry watched him carefully, still unsure about his son-in-law. "Let's don't stay outside like that. Come in." All dragons entered the house and went to the living room. As Tremor sat next to his mate, he felt much more confident, though her father was still watching him carefully.  
"Mom, dad, why are you back so late?" Candice started with question, which had bothered her for very long time. Wintry sighed deeply, unsure, how to answer.  
"We really wanted to come back." Merrill started. "But we were very bad lucky. "When we were coming back, we flew in a bad direction, not at the west, as planned, but at the north. We were attacked by wolves, your dad was badly wounded and eventually fell in the coma. We spent about year in small cheetahs' village. When we moved back to Teria, wolves commanded by Liun attacked dragons. And again, we met them. Right after Liun's death, we were caught, some wolves tried to buy freedom using us. And when we escaped, we had no idea, where to go, so we flew at the south. Later it appeared that we should have gone at the north. We were wandering like that for all those years, desperately trying to find the home." Merrill explained. "I'm sorry that you had to wait so long, Candice." She apologized.  
"No, I am sorry. I didn't even say goodbye, I didn't look for you… I should have found you long time ago." Candice blamed herself.  
"Anyway, all that matters is that we all are alright, right, Candy?" Tremor stated.  
"Candy?" The ice guardian's mother asked with surprise and watched her daughter dumbstruck. "Don't you hate that nickname?" She asked.  
"I used to." Candice admitted. "At first, Tremor was calling me like that just to annoy me, but with time, I started liking it." She explained.  
"Interesting." Wintry watched Tremor carefully, still not sure, what to think about him. "So, what is your story? Was it love at first sight?" He guessed. Both guardians laughed silently.  
"Well…not exactly…" Tremor refused. Then, he started explaining, how they met and eventually fell in love with each other. As the story continued, it was getting harder for Candice's parents to believe that story.  
"So, you treated the dragoness, who you were fond of, like that?" Wintry asked, both surprised and resentful. Tremor didn't earn his father-in-law's sympathy with that story.  
"Well…" Tremor didn't know what to say.  
"He did and still does a little. And that's, what I love him for." Candice kissed her mate's cheek.  
"Granddad, no worries about that." Sierra said.  
"Yes, we can't understand them too." Tundra added. Tremor and Candice laughed, seeing that their parents didn't know what to say.  
"But though that, I hope you're getting along well?" Candice's mother asked after several seconds of silence.  
"Perfectly, mom. Tremor may be stubborn pebble-brain, but I wouldn't replace him for anyone else. Never." Candice assured them.  
"Neither would I." Tremor agreed and nuzzled his mate lovingly. Candice's parents smiled, as they finally made sure that their daughter was satisfied with her family.  
"And what about Flush? Did you break his heart?" Candice's father asked.  
"Yeah. And I broke his jaw, additionally." Tremor grinned with satisfaction. "For unknown reason, we're not getting along well."  
"So Flush still hasn't mate?" Merrill asked with surprise. "Didn't Ivory…" Candice shook her head in answer. "Poor Ivory... She always was so shy…"  
"You should give her some motivation, Candice." Wintry suggested. "Or make Flush start being interested in other dragonesses than you."  
"That won't be easy." Candice sighed deeply.  
"Well, I already gave Ivory nice motivation. And speaking of Flush…" Tremor clenched his fist in meaningful gesture. "…it can't be that hard."  
"You're giving bad example your children, son." Candice's father admonished him.  
"He always does." Candice muttered silently.  
"Right, I was just kidding with that fist, kids." Tremor turned to Sierra and Tundra. "Your mother was right when she said that violence isn't solution. Though there's satisfaction at first, later there appear regrets…"Speaking the last word, Tremor almost burst out with loud laugh. "It's not worth of it." He finished his parental instruction. Both youngsters nodded obediently.  
"So, could you tell us, what happened in whole that time, when we were gone?" Candice's mother pleased. Candice and Tremor started speaking about everything, what happened through those years, especially about Liun and Venganza. Candice's parents told them lots of story from their journey. Before anyone noticed, it was already sunset.

This same day, at the evening, two guardians, their daughters and Flush were eating dinner in detective's house. Since their fight, Tremor and Flush haven't said a word to each other. For whole last week, Tremor was smiling silly, every time he glared at the fire breather's jaw. Candice knew that it had to end. And she knew how to finish that. It was quite cruel way, but the only one.  
"Flush, excuse us, but I have to talk with Tremor now." Before anyone said a word, the ice guardian grasped Tremor's shoulder and took him to their room, she slammed door loudly. The dragoness closed door of her room.  
"What do you think you are doing?!" She asked, about to shout.  
„I simply don't hide what I feel about him." The earth dragon was calm. He knew, that if he shouted too, this quarrel would have very bad end for both of them.  
"Stop it! Why are you playing like moron just because of his way of treating..." The earth guardian interrupted her by a paw.  
"You shouldn't let Flush hear it." Candice cursed herself in mind. He was right and this annoyed her even more.  
"Yes. You're right." From then she started shouting, so everyone in the house could hear them now. "But stop being such a jerk to him! Do something nice for him, help him, if he needs help, not just criticize him!" She felt, her blood was boiling.  
"I simply can't do that, Candy! There's no way I could do it! He's too..." Tremor tried to argue.  
"Then I'll give you a way. Until you and Flush stop that war, for me, you don't exist!" Candice decided. Tremor watched her completely dumbstruck for several seconds. He wanted to believe, it was just a cruel joke. But he knew the truth was different.  
"But..."  
"No objections!" She shouted.  
"Don't forget, who started that duel." He tried to remain calm.  
"Don't forget, who provoked it!" Candice riposted. She didn't even try to lower her voice. Tremor sighed deeply.  
"I promised you, I'm not going to change." He muttered.  
"I don't want you to change, but just to accept him! And from now, you're gone!" She left a room and slammed the door loudly once more, leaving surprised Tremor in their bedroom. The detective glared at the ice dragoness worried as she walked down stairs and sat next to him.  
"Are you alright, sweety?" Flush asked with worries.  
"Yeah." That was all, she said. Her heart was beating like crazy and she needed to calm down. After two minutes the earth guardian joined them. He didn't say a word, but just sat at the opposite place to his mate, not next to her, as previously. He was watching her all the time in hope, she would change her mind, but Candice didn't even glance at him. Everyone ate in an awkward silence. Tremor was toying with his food. He lost an appetite at all.  
"It's my fault." Flush blamed himself in his mind. "If I wouldn't kiss Candice back then, that argument wouldn't happen. Candice wouldn't be so upset because of that idiot." He wanted to bite next watermelon, when the earth guardian noticed something. His eyes grew and he jumped across table to catch detective's paw and stop it.  
"Don't eat that!" Detective's jaws stopped several centimeters from a red fruit. Flush watched him dumbstruck, having no idea, what could he mean. Tremor just took the watermelon and put at the table, so everybody could see it. At its center was small dark green stain. Everybody easily guessed, what was that and detective's eyes grew wide as he understood that.  
"P...poison." The fire breather's arms started shaking, as he realized that earth guardian saved his life. "Thanks Tremor." The earth guardian just smiled.  
"No problem." The ice dragoness smiled slightly as she heard that, but didn't say a word. Tremor would save the detective, even if he would hate him. That happening didn't prove anything.  
"That's why I told you to be careful, Flush." She said to detective coldly. "Goodnight now, I'll put Sierra and Tundra to their bed." Candice and two youngsters left dining room and walked at the first level, leaving males alone. Both Flush and Tremor knew that it was their chance to apologize and become friends, but neither of them wanted to say the first word. One unbearably long minute of silence passed slowly. Dragons were glaring in each other's eyes, waiting in silence. Jaws of each of them opened several times, as if they wanted to say something, but then they'd close it. Then Tremor said:  
"I'm sorry for all I did. I was childish jerk." It cost him a lot to say that words. The fire breather smiled, but not maliciously, as Tremor expected him to do, but cordially.  
"I'm the one, who should apologize first. I started that fight. I tried to kill you. I hurt you, by kissing Candice and calling her "sweety". But I want to explain myself. I love Candice, you know that. And since she left, I was feeling so lonely. Candice doesn't care about how I'm calling her, because she knows, what relief I feel, when I say that word. I feel, as if I was with her."  
"Quit that and open your eyes finally." Tremor replied.  
"What do you mean?" The detective jerked his head curiously. Tremor sighed deeply.  
"Candice is my mate. You and she… it's just a dream. Forget about her and look around. There are a lot of beautiful and intelligent dragonesses, who really like you and at least one that loves you. But you ignore them all, chasing after dream which is already gone." The earth guardian hoped that detective knew, that he meant Ivory. Flush remained silent for several minutes. He was thinking about Tremor's words intensively.  
"You're right. I have to stop living with dreams." The fire breather finally agreed.  
"Finally some wise words left your jaws." Tremor stated, smiling.  
"I'm idiot, am I not?" Flush asked.  
"Well, I can't say that you're perfect example of intelligence." The earth guardian admitted.  
"True." Flush couldn't refuse those words.  
"Well it's second time." Tremor said, smiling enigmatically.  
"Second time what?" Flush asked, dumbstruck.  
"Second time, we agree." Tremor explained. They both laughed silently. Then the earth guardian raised his paw. "The new beginning?" He asked. The fire breather nodded and grasped it.  
"The new beginning." The detective agreed. "That's the third time." He noticed and smirked. He would never become reconciled with Tremor at other circumstances, but he knew that it was going to be better for them all this way. "Go to Candice and bring her good news." He suggested.  
"You better go with me, she won't believe me." Tremor noticed. He turned around and walked at the stairs.  
"Give me a minute." The detective pleased. Tremor nodded and disappeared at the upper level. The detective stopped for a while before the table. He glared at the poisoned watermelon. He knew it wasn't deadly. Venganza needed him. It was just a sign that they were already there and they needed his help to get guardians. He had just joined the game between Venganza and dragons.


	19. So close and yet so far

Chapter 19. "So close and yet so far"

Spyro and Cynder were sitting on top of some hill several kilometers from Leafen. Though they were above all trees, they still couldn't see the perfectly hidden city. Cynder's head was lying against her mate's chest, Spyro was covering her with wing and cuddling her fondly. The purple dragon sighed deeply.  
"It's indeed city hidden in leaves." Spyro whispered with admiration. "If I didn't know, that it's here, I'd never notice it."  
"Neither would I." Cynder admitted. She was half-sleeping, sunshine was warming her black scales in a pleasant way and with her mate right next to her, she didn't need anything else to achieve happiness. "Why can't it be like that for whole time?" She asked silently. "Such serenity..." She smiled blissfully. "...and silence." She added after several seconds. Spyro smiled with this same opinion as her. For the last several days, they couldn't get rid of Sparx for even a second.  
"Well, I doubt if anyone disturbs us today." The purple dragon assured his mate. "I don't want to jinx it, but..." He started.  
"You already did." Cynder interrupted her. She sighed sadly, as she noticed newcomers.  
"Spyro!" A young male voice called them. "Oh, there you are, Spyro!" It was Angelo; he was staying right behind them. Spyro and Cynder turned around and noticed that next to the lightning dragon was staying his brother.  
"I told you, you would disturb them." Genesis said with his casual for him, gloomy a little, voice.  
"Noted." Angelo flushed with an embarrassed a little. "Sorry for disturbing, but we..." The fire breather gave his brother skeptical sight. "Well, I.." He corrected quickly. "...have a request."  
"What is it?" Spyro watched him curiously.  
"Have you ever met any opponent, who would be stronger than you?" Angelo asked.  
"Well, if we did, we'd be most likely dead by now, wouldn't we?" The purple dragon noticed.  
"True, true..." The vice-captain admitted silently. "So I can say that you're the strongest dragon in the whole world, right?"  
"Well, it's quite risky assumption, because..." Spyro tried to refuse.  
"But you're surely extraordinary. You know, there aren't many purple dragons and, as I heard, they're strongest ones..." Angelo stubbornly tried to persuade him.  
"Alright, I can be called the strongest dragon." Spyro admitted reluctantly just to make Angelo reach the point. "So what?"  
"Well, if someone won a duel against you, he'd become the strongest dragon, right?" Angelo asked hesitantly. Spyro guessed what the lightning dragon implied.  
"So you want to..."  
"No, no, wait!" Angelo stopped him. "I know that alone I stand no chance, but since my and Genesis's teamwork is quite good, we'd have much bigger chance fighting against you. Of course, to make this fight fair, Cynder should fight on your side." The vice-captain explained. "So..." He pointed Spyro with finger. "I challenge you!" He said loudly with sparkle of excitement in his eyes.  
"Alright." Spyro admitted. Cynder sighed sadly.  
"And it was supposed to be undisturbed day." The black dragoness stood up reluctantly and watched Angelo annoyed. "Bring it on." She said completely half-hearted. And Angelo's way of speaking suggesting that she was just Spyro's aid didn't cheer her up at all.  
"Double blow, Angelo." Genesis whispered with excitement. After all, not often there was an opportunity to face the purple dragon. The lightning dragon nodded and started running to Spyro. Original ten meters of space between him and Spyro decreased to only three. Cynder stood about one meter at left from her mate.  
"Aren't you attacking too straightly?" Spyro asked Angelo.  
"No worries, I'm too fast to be predictable!" The lightning dragon replied. He quickly jumped to Spyro's right. At this same moment Genesis sent at his face the stream of the fire, hoping that he'd fall on his decoy. The purple dragon ignored it, turning at right and blocking Angelo's slash of talons. Though Angelo was very fast, he perfectly predicted his attack. Meanwhile, strong blow of Cynder's wind extinguished the fire. Genesis started running to the black dragoness. Then, Spyro released freezing breath forcing Angelo to jump back. A second later, Genesis rapidly changed direction and jumped to Spyro, sure that Cynder would be too slow to stop him. How wrongfully. When he was about half meter from the purple dragon, he felt strong wind throwing him in the air. He straightened wings, when he was about ten meters above the ground and barely managed to avoid Cynder, flying at him fast as an arrow. Seeing that, Angelo cursed silently. In plan, Spyro was supposed to be knocked down already. The lightning dragon leaned down beneath Spyro's paw and jumped away from him, as heard sound of charged electricity. Angelo, using his skills of Sparkle sped up suddenly with plan to simply crash with Spyro. The purple dragon didn't even try to avoid Angelo, before him appeared small pillar of stone. Angelo tried to avoid it, but he slipped at sheet of ice under his feet and crushed at the pillar. Seeing stream of fire released from Spyro's jaws, he jumped back quickly, just in time.  
Meanwhile, Genesis was flying around and avoiding Cynder's wind and searching for opportunity to help his brother. He flew above her and started diving. The black dragoness stopped in the air, waiting for him. The fire breather made sudden turn and was trying to attack her from side, but she simply hit him with a powerful blow of wind. Genesis started whirling uncontrollably. In moment, he regained stability, Cynder touched his chest with a paw and his throat with a second one.  
"I'm done here!" She shouted to Spyro. "And you, sweety?" She watched beneath her. Spyro was holding Angelo's paws behind his back, so the vice-captain couldn't move.  
"Me too." He said, as he dropped Angelo. After several seconds, from the sky gracefully descended Cynder, moment later next to her appeared gloomy Genesis.  
"So close and yet so far, huh?" Angelo asked, satisfied with that fight. His twin brother remained silent. "Oh, come on, say something! You know that if you'd get to Spyro in time we would..."  
"Angelo..." The fire breather watched his brother with annoyance. He couldn't understood, how he could be so enthusiastic about everything.  
"I should shut up, right, Genes?" The lightning dragon asked, knowing his brother's next words.  
"Exactly." Genesis smirked. "After years, you remembered it." He noticed. Angelo was about to riposte, when in front of them landed an earth dragon. He was wearing armband with a description "vice-captain" and symbol of earth.  
"Rift?" The lightning dragon asked, dumbstruck. "What are you doing here?"  
"Sue and Heaty..." He was panting, exhausted. "They were... attacked..."  
"What?" Angelo watched him scared.  
"Are they alright?" Genesis didn't ask, but rather ordered him to answer.  
"They're wounded, but alive. They said that they were attacked by a green fire breather with a silver gauntlet. He came from the south. He said he was Vengi or something like that." The earth dragon explained. Cynder and Spyro looked at each other.  
"Vengantimo." Cynder corrected.  
"Fire breather...Atroz." Spyro guessed. Genesis turned at them, in his eyes seemed to burn a fire of wrath.  
"So that's what you meant by saying that helping you is dangerous." He said with angry voice. He was mad, partly at Spyro and Cynder, but much more at that wyvern.  
"Genes, let's go to Heaty and Sue." Angelo suggested. The fire breather agreed, though reluctantly. "Spyro, Cynder, we leave this up to you." Genesis told them. Both the purple dragon and the black dragoness jumped in the air and started flying at the south hoping they would catch up with Vengantimo.  
"I can't believe that Atroz is that stupid." Spyro whispered after about ten minutes of silence. "To attack dragons just like that? Does he have any idea, how much is he risking right now?"  
"Well, as I heard, he never was a clever person." Cynder replied. "There he is." She whispered with excitement, pointing small green point floating above trees about one kilometer from them. "He's so cheeky that he doesn't even hurry." She noticed with disbelief.  
"Or it's a trap." Spyro watched carefully small green point going lower and lower to disappear in sea of leaves. "So, what do we do?"  
"Fly into the trap." Cynder suggested, grinning ominously, and accelerated rapidly. They were flying in silence. Both of them were, though mad, in quite good mood, they didn't expect to find Vengantimos so quickly. Spyro caught up with Cynder and in a minute they found a place, where Atroz had landed.

The wyvern was waiting for them, staying in a shallow, but wide stream. About twenty meters behind him was a waterfall ending with very deep and wide lake. Cynder and Spyro landed in the middle of stream, its level was very low, only to their knees. They were staying several meters from the wyvern watching him carefully, expecting an ambush.  
"Oh, we meet again, Spyro." Atroz was wearing not only metal gauntlet, but also metal mask, covering left half of his face, where he'd lost all scales, while fighting Candice. "Once, I heard, you're living in Fervor's house, I knew that this would quickly alarm you. And here you are." He grinned, glad that they've come.  
"Nice mask." Cynder noticed. The wyvern hissed.  
"Candice. She's going to pay for that with her own blood. Well, that's a pity that she isn't here. I'd love to fight against her once more. But, all is not lost that is delayed."  
"Do you actually believe that you'll live long enough?" The black dragoness watched him with surprise. She couldn't understand why he was so self-assure. She was giving her best to localize, where was hiding another Vengantimo, but there seemed to be no one.  
"Well, yes. You know, I'm not so defenseless, as you think." Atroz smiled mysteriously. "Any second, there will appear my allies and then you'll be in trouble." Spyro watched Cynder with asking sight, if did she sense anyone using her wind. The black dragoness shook her head.  
"He's bluffing, I would..." Then, from behind waterfall appeared someone. It was a lightning dragon, much older and bigger than Spyro or Cynder. He landed several meters behind Atroz. The wyvern turned around and watched him dumbstruck. Spyro smirked, as he read from his lips a silent curse.  
"So water hides from a wind dragoness." The old lightning dragon stated. "Spyro, Cynder, sorry for hiding, but I was waiting for right moment to attack. I think we weren't introduced to each other, were we? My name is Quincy, captain of the city guard. When I heard that Sue and Heaty were attacked, I had to get that guy."  
"Hey, don't you think that it's at least not fair?" Atroz asked all three dragons, completely dumbstruck. "You know, three versus one?"  
"Life is brutal, wyvern. And your partner, Septimo, hiding in that waterfall is already dead." The lightning dragon said. "Spyro, do you want to get him, or can I kill him too?" Quincy asked hopefully.  
"We need him alive." The purple dragon refused quickly. "Just make sure, he's not going to escape."  
"I can do that." Quincy agreed. All three dragons made offensive poses. Atroz jerked head at lightning dragon, as if looking for any openings. He turned back at Spyro and Cynder and smirked in a cocky way.  
"You'll never get me!" The wyvern jumped in the air. Spyro and Cynder were going to follow him, when they felt electrifying pain. They both fell on the ground, unable to move. Cynder groaned painfully. She felt, as if she was seriously electrocuted. Neither she nor Spyro had any idea, what had happened.  
"Ha ha!" Atroz laughed triumphantly, while flying above them. "Nice job, Glimmer! For a second, even I doubted if you're on my side!" Then, he turned at paralyzed dragons. "I told you, Spyro! I warned you!"  
"Glimmer." Spyro whispered, watching the lightning dragon, who was smiling slightly, with mad sight. "You traitor!" He stood up and tried to run to him, when he was hit with lightning right in the chest. The purple dragon collapsed in the water again.  
"Atroz, you better be going now. I'll deal with them. Purple dragon or not, he's just a youngster." The old dragon ordered him. The wyvern nodded and flew away. The old dragon sighed deeply and watched carefully Spyro and Cynder. "Though powerful, you still too naive, too trustful and too zealous. I can't believe you actually fell on something like that. If you really want to get Venganza, or at least don't be killed by them, you shouldn't be so reckless."  
"Why are you doing this, Glimmer?" Spyro asked angrily.  
"Well, it's a long story and I don't have time for this." The lightning dragon walked to the verge of the waterfall. "And now, as Vengantimos would say, adiós, dragones." He jumped down the waterfall and disappeared from their view.  
"Let's get him." Spyro whispered. They slowly stood up, walked to at the waterfall's verge and started flying down. But the lightning dragon was gone already.  
"What the..." Cynder looked around, as they stopped several meters above water's surface. All, she could see, was waterfall surrounded by a mist behind her and trees all around them.  
"He couldn't just disappear." Spyro was completely dumbstruck, trying to find any logical explanation.  
"Behind us!" Cynder turned around to the waterfall. Then, from steam appeared big yellow paw, which caught the black dragoness's throat and started squeezing it.  
"Cynder!" Spyro screamed, both scared and surprised. The second paw was about to catch him, but he shielded his throat with arms. Glimmer appeared from the mist and, holding both young dragons, dove into the water. Spyro, seeing what was coming, took a deep breath, but Cynder fell into the lake with opened jaws, to which poured some water, before she closed them. Spyro felt sudden coldness of water surrounding him. He started forcing against Glimmer to release himself from his crushing grasp, but neither of them could get any advantage. All three dragons were slowly sinking. After about a minute of forcing, Cynder slashed the lightning dragon's paw painfully, but he squeezed her throat even stronger. Cynder involuntarily opened her jaws, losing rest of the air, which she had in lungs. Spyro watched fearfully at volley of hundreds bubbles floating from her mouth to the surface. Cynder slowly dropped Glimmer's paw and the lightning dragon pushed her to the depth. She had lost her consciousness and started being consumed by dark waters to eventually disappear in shadows. First thing, which appeared in Spyro's head was despair. The second, fury. Not caring about the water, he opened jaws. As he screamed, he released powerful lightning right to Glimmer head. Old dragon dropped him, surprised. Then, Spyro swam to his chest, slashed it with tailblade and bounced down from him, starting searching for his mate. He knew that the lightning dragon was going to escape, he could even try to attack, but he didn't care about that. He had to find Cynder. He was swimming down and down, beating with all his limbs, desperately trying to get to her. Everything around was becoming darker, not only because of depth, but also Spyro's lack of air. He knew he would soon reach his limit. But will to save Cynder and fear from losing her gave him strength to reach the bottom of lake. And then, he saw her. Several meters from him, her body was being gently placed at muddy bottom. The purple dragon swam last several meters to her, took her at his back and bounced from some rock. He started swimming quickly to the surface, feeling that he also was going to lose consciousness soon. Finally, they reached the surface. Spyro took a deep breath and sighed with relief. With his mate at his back, he quickly swam to the shore and placed her gently at her back at the warm sand. Cynder most likely had water in her lungs, so Spyro pushed her chest strongly several times. It worked. The black dragoness choked away, from her lips dripped some water. She opened her eyes and blinked several times.  
"Spyro..." She whispered. "Are you… alright?" She asked. The purple dragon watched her with amusement.  
"My beloved altruist." He kissed her. "You were drowning, but still, you're worried about me."  
"I was scared, if he managed to get you too." She explained. "By the way, I never knew that you're so good swimmer."  
"Well, there's a will, there's a way." He replied, smiling. "By the way, thanks for saving me."  
"Wasn't I the drowning one?" Cynder asked, dumbstruck.  
"If you haven't warned me in time, he would surely choke me to death. So you saved me first." Spyro explained her.  
"I see." Cynder nuzzled him passionately.  
"You know, I was scared like never before. The thought that I could lose you was..." The purple dragon confessed.  
"It doesn't matter. We're alright now." Cynder interrupted him. Then they heard a loud laugh. Both dragons jerked their heads at Atroz staying about ten meters from them and leaning against the tree.  
"How disgustingly sweet." The wyvern said. "Well, I told you, I'm not defenseless."  
"Now you are." Spyro replied. "Glimmer is gone already."  
"You see, Spyro, we're so close and yet so far. You won't attack me, because you'd never leave barely conscious Cynder, not knowing, if somewhere there wasn't hiding my partner, already mentioned Septimo. On the other hand, I stand no chance against you, so attacking isn't clever idea." Atroz explained and sighed deeply. "So close and yet so far." The wyvern stood up and turned around. "Well, it's time for me now. Adiós, dragones." Atroz bounced from the ground and started flying above the forest. Spyro watched him with sight, but didn't follow him.  
"Aren't you going to get him?" Cynder asked with surprise.  
"No, he hit the point." Spyro refused. "This fight has to wait."  
"Go, I'll be fine." Cynder assured him.  
"No." Spyro refused. "We'll meet sooner or later, I can wait a little longer."  
"But not too long." The black dragoness added, watching the wyvern beating his wings quickly. "Not too long."

The next week passed quickly for all dragons. Stella, Infernus, Flame and Ember spent whole that time conversing with elders of the eastern city about inhabiting Warfang and meeting with the fire guardian's friends. Thanks to Diego, Tremor and Candice knew that somewhere in Teria were Venganza's spies or maybe even its members, who they were trying to find. With Flush, they checked several caves looking for wyverns' hideout, but found nothing. In time of that week, Candice made sure that Tremor and Flush's peace wasn't fake and she started speaking to her mate again. Sierra and Tundra spent most of that time with kids of Dusty and Sylvia: Amy and Frost, and their friends or with grandparents. Situation in Leafen didn't change at the slightest. Though Cynder and Spyro were giving their best to find him, Glimmer had just disappeared into thin air. Zealous, Torch, Zap, spent that week with Cena, Volk and their friends. Only five weeks left before end of Venganza's ultimatum.


	20. Ballade begins

Chapter 20. "Ballade begins"

"Wake up, sweety." Tremor heard female voice and opened his eyes. It was midday already. Candice called her mate and poked him, but he just muttered something dreamily and closed his eyes to try to fall asleep again. She watched him with annoyance. "Don't ignore me or..."  
"Or what?" The earth guardian muttered, grinning insolently, and covered himself with a wing.  
"Is that a challenge?" She asked. Tremor nodded slightly and Candice smiled devilishly. "Alright then." She took deep breath and the great amount of frosty air left her jaws. Tremor started shaking from cold and rolling from one side at another trying to find some warm place, until he fell down from the bed. The ice dragoness started laughing. The earth guardian stood up and watched her with resentful sight.  
"Th...That was...sn't nice of...you." He was still shaking because of a sudden chill.  
"You asked for it for yourself..." She replied, still laughing. "Come on, we should eat something." Tremor nodded and followed her to the dining room. There was only Flush, he was already finishing his breakfast. He jerked head to see them and smiled.  
"Good morning." Flush greeted them. Tremor sat oppositely to the fire breather.  
"H...Hi Flush." The earth guardian stumbled, still shaking. The detective laughed pitifully, as he guessed, what happened to the earth guardian.  
"Do you want something hot to drink?" The detective offered. Tremor nodded thankfully and Flush stood up. "Give me a second." He was about to leave to kitchen, when he turned at Candice. "Something's wrong?" He asked, watching her carefully.  
"No." She lied. Lastly she had had problems with sleeping. All night she had nightmares that something bad was happening to Flush and Tremor. She really wished it wasn't some kind of prophecy. "Why do you ask?"  
"You looked, as if something was bothering you. Anyway, today there's a party in the city. You know, end of year in the academy. It begins at the sunset, so don't forget about it." The detective went to the kitchen.  
"Candy, where are kids?" Tremor asked, when he noticed, who was missing.  
"They are playing now with Amy, Frost and their friends." Candice explained and yawned deeply.  
"They woke you up early, didn't they?" Tremor guessed and she nodded. "One hour after sunrise?" Tremor guessed. Candice nodded again, sadly this time. "Poor Candy. Thanks ancestors, they always wake you up, not me." The earth guardian said pitifully and sighed with relief.  
"They would wake you up, if you were able to do something more than just falling down your bed." She replied. Smile disappeared from earth guardian's mouth.  
"Oh... You're not even trying to be nice to me today, do you?" Tremor kissed his mate gently. His lips were cold like ice.  
"So, how did you manage to do that?" Candice asked curiously. Her mate watched her dumbstruck.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You and Flush… friends."  
"It's thanks to you. You gave me a good motivation." Candice smiled as she thought about their quarrel. "And Flush felt that whole that situation was his fault. He just wanted you to be happy." Tremor explained. "You know, when I gave him a chance, I understood that he may be blind, but he's not so bad. All he has to do is to notice Ivory as someone more than a friend."  
"And you're going to help him." She didn't ask, but stated.  
"Mhm. Your help would be priceless."  
"So, what's the plan?" She asked with a growing curiosity.  
"I have an idea." He wanted to tell her, when to dining room entered Flush. "When we'll be alone, I'll tell you." Tremor whispered, sure that Flush was blind and deaf enough to don't notice that.

At the sunset, Tremor, Candice, Flush, Dusty, Sylvia and Ivory met in front of Sylvia and Dusty's house. From there they went to the place, where was a banquet. This wasn't inside a building, but at the field at the highest level of the city. It had about two hundreds of meters of length and width, at its borders were tables with food and in the middle was a dancing place. At the center of field, there was an orchestra of ten dragons. When six newcomers joined party, there were already a lot of dancers. Sylvia and Dusty immediately disappeared in the crowd of dancing dragons and Flush started dancing with Ivory. Tremor laughed, when he watched the white dragoness flushing, when she heard Flush's question 'May I dance with you?' Candice sat next to her mate, also giggling silently.  
"It's quite a lot of dragons here." Tremor noticed.  
"Town council makes party for whole city once every year, when students finish the academy. It's an old tradition of several northern cities, from before the Great War."  
"Well, looks like we've started visiting all cities in a middle of banquet season." Tremor watched all dancing pairs and orchestra. He was listening to their beautiful, slow song. "Are we going to dance also, or we'll start already our plan, sweety?" Candice didn't even wonder about that question.  
"We have whole night for it. Let's dance." They ran into crowd and let their hearts and bodies dance in the rhythm of melody. Next two hours passed quickly. But then, the music stopped and there was no another track for a while. Everyone turned their heads curiously at the orchestra. Then the singer, an ice dragon, started speaking loudly.  
"Good evening everybody!" He was speaking loudly and clearly, not shouting. He characteristically extended "eve". "My name is Karso and I and my orchestra are playing for you this night. And especially for you, we've prepared something special this evening! Now, it's time for a competition!" Candice smiled to herself. She went into the crowd, to stop right behind Ivory and Flush. "Well, we need ten dragonesses and their dance partners for this competition. Any volunteers?" Several dragonesses raised their paws up. "Alright." Singer started pointing dragonesses, who went at the stage with their partners. When he'd called nine volunteers already, he turned around to see two white dragonesses. Candice raised her paw and disappeared at the crowd immediately. Karso smiled to himself. That was a sign from the ice guardian. "And the last one, the white dragoness with her partner!" Flush and Ivory watched each other surprised. The medic quickly understood, what had just happened, but her dancing partner didn't even notice Candice, so he thought that Ivory was one to raise paw.  
"Ivy, let's go." He suggested. The white dragoness had no other choice, so they went at the scene.  
"Now, the rules of game. Dragonesses will stay at their hinder legs and connect feet. Then, you raise paws as high as you can. Next, your partner will fly into air and touch your talons with opened paw to help you keep balance. Then, orchestra will start playing and you start spinning, my ladies. Tempo of music will accelerate gradually and you also will have to accelerate your spinning. The winner is the last spinning dragoness." Ivory sighed deeply. She knew that this all as Candice and Tremor's job.  
"Ivy? Shall we?" Flush asked. The white dragoness nodded.  
"For you, everything." The orchestra started playing a simple melody and ten dragonesses started spinning. At first, it was trivial. Then, music's tempo started gradually growing. After thirty seconds fell already two dragonesses. In next twenty seconds another three lost their balance. After one minute more only three dragonesses left. Several seconds later some earth dragoness made bad move and was thrown right into Karso. The singer collapsed, falling down the stage to amusement of all dragons. He quickly stood up and helped a green dragoness get up. Now only two dragonesses were spinning: Ivory and some yellow dragoness. Flush looked at a green dragon, who was holding his partner, most probably mate.  
"Holding her like that needs a lot of trust and coordination. Too strong, she'll slow down. Too light, she'll fall. You're mates, aren't you?" The green dragon guessed. Flush felt his blood swimming faster to his face. He blushed, but his scales perfectly masked that.  
"Just friends." The detective replied perfunctorily.  
"Just friends? Did you leave your mate somewhere there?" The green dragon asked with surprise.  
"I don't have a mate."  
"You should find some. From that scars at your throat I guess, you have a dangerous job. You never know, when you will you join our ancestors." Flush just smiled. He had been at death's door not once or twice, but he wasn't hurrying on the other side.  
"Maybe you're right." Flush admitted. Then, strong wind blew suddenly. A yellow dragoness squeaked, surprised and collapsed, but Ivory was too good. She not only kept balance, but didn't even slow down. Flush watched her flabbergasted. He didn't expect her to have such a reflex. Then, she stopped and fell at Flush, involuntarily cuddling him. She quickly dropped him, feeling at least embarrassed.  
"And we have the winner!" Candice smiled to herself as she heard Karso's voice.  
"I told you Tremor, she would win." Dusty repeated his earlier words.  
"I haven't doubted for even second. But don't be so self-assure about this little success, it's only a beginning." Tremor noticed. Then the singer went to Ivory. She felt dizzy and almost collapsed, when Flush caught her. The fire breather glanced deeply in her azure eyes and grinned warmly. Ivory kissed his cheek, giggled and immediately flushed, understanding, what she did.  
"I'm sorry?" They heard a voice behind them. Both dragons jerked their heads to see Karso. "Will you tell me your names, so everyone here will know who won?"  
"Ivory."  
"Flush." They introduced themselves. The singer nodded and started speaking loudly again.  
"Applause for all dragon, who fought in the tournament and especially for Ivory and her partner Flush, who won our competition!" All dragons started applauding, but Ivory didn't care about that. She cared about only one.  
"Flush, could you help me get down the stage? I still feel dizzy." She asked him.  
"Sure. Let's go." He held her gently and two dragons went slowly to the table, where were waiting their friends.  
"Impressive." Sylvia looked at the fire breather. "You would be perfect couple." She grinned. Flush blushed and wanted to tell her something, but the lightning dragoness just giggled, grasped her mate's paw and disappeared in the crowd of dragons.  
"How are they doing this?" The detective asked himself. "Sylvia and Dusty were dancing for all that time without any pause. For me that's impossible."  
"This same here." The earth guardian nodded. Four dragons were sitting silent for next fifteen minutes, each one of them lost in thoughts. Candice and Tremor were thinking about their plan, Flush's thoughts were everywhere and Ivory tried to find answer, what was the point of making her start at that tournament.  
"Would you like to dance?" Candice offered Flush after several minutes. The detective watched her a bit dumbstruck.  
"Of course, I do." They stood up and joined other dancing dragons. Tremor was sitting right next to Ivory. Her eyes were following the fire breather carefully, ignoring everyone. For her, there existed only Flush. Everything was going according to the plan, now it was Tremor's turn. He started conversation with Ivory, though ice dragoness agreed a little reluctantly. At first, it was trivial, but when the earth guardian noticed, that another song is about to finish, he knew that time had come.  
"You should go dance with Flush." He suggested.  
"Why now? There's whole night." The white dragoness asked and blushed slightly. She was simply too shy to ask for that. The earth guardian smiled and patted her back, as if she was just a youngster. She glanced at him with an annoyance.  
"Go now and you will understand everything." Tremor assured her. Ivory nodded. She had good feelings about that. She was about to run into the crowd, when Tremor called her. "Ivory, just tell him." He suggested. The white dragoness watched him aghast for several seconds, unsure, if he wasn't just making fun of her and cursing her white scales. She nodded and ran to Flush.  
"Candice, will you mind, if I dance with Flush now?" She asked. The ice guardian smiled. Ivory was just in time.  
"Not at all." Candice took several stepped back from Flush and went to her mate. "Tremor? Do you think it will work out?" She asked doubtfully. "You know, we didn't do very much after all."  
"It'll be enough. I believe that at least Flush will open his blind eyes." Tremor assured her. Then, he noticed Dusty and Sylvia coming to them.  
"Sylvia? Did you talk with the singer?" Candice asked. The lightning dragoness nodded. All that they could do from that point was waiting.

Flush and Ivory started dancing in the rhythm of the dreamy melody. Their eyes met for a second, before Ivory turned her head, embarrassed. But this one second was enough for Flush to notice her sight. Her love mixed with the pain of her unfilled dream. Dream about him. And then, he understood everything. He understood, why Tremor told him that he had been blind. He understood, who he meant by the "one, who loves you". He understood that Ivory... She actually loved him. Moreover, he loved her as well. And he had to tell it her. Right now, in that moment. He opened jaws to say something, when the music started turning down. They heard loud, sonorous voice.  
"And now, a little change in our repertoire. Some beautiful ice dragoness dedicates this song to Flush, her best friend. Dragons and dragonesses, ballad 'Marks and Lian'." A gentle noise of stringed instruments reached everybody's ears. That was old, very old song, story of two dragons, who lived in times of Great War. The fire breather looked at Ivory aghast.  
"Did you..." The white dragoness just giggled and blushed. She knew it was Candice's job. She had to admit that the ice guardian planned this all quite well. She couldn't choose a better song to create romantic mood, perfect for confessions. The first stanza began. Two young dragons, the fire breather and the ice dragoness who were rising together and became best friends. No one of them ever let each other down, whatever would happen.  
"I think I know this story." Flush said with a smirk.  
"Yeah, me too." Ivory smiled as she was glancing with amorous sight deeply into his beautiful yellow eyes. Second stanza. Marks and Lian grew up, they finished the academy and were spending together all the time. At some beautiful sunset, they were sitting at the cliff and watching overlapping sun.  
"Ivy?" The detective called her. The white dragoness noticed that Flush's heart rate spiked and he was getting more and more nervous every second. "I understand it now." The fire breather smiled confidently, ready for his confession. His mind had no idea, what to say, so he simply let his heart speak. "I understand that there's a smile that only your lips can show, a twinkle that can only be seen in your eyes and my life that only you can complete." Ivory and Flush, like main characters of story felt, that their hearts were getting crazy.  
"W...what do you mean?" It was obvious for her, but Ivory was waiting impatiently for that words.  
"I understood, that...I...I..." Marks like Flush was about to tell his beloved since ever dragoness his real feelings, when this happened. Third stanza. From nowhere appeared monsters, which attacked Marks and Lian. The detective, like the fire breather from ballade, felt a terrible pain in his chest. He fell down on the ground. Ivory's heart skipped beat, like Lian's, when her best friend collapsed with a blade, which had pierced his chest, when he protected her with his own body. Blood-freezing shriek left ice dragoness's jaws. Candice, Tremor, Dusty and Sylvia watched them and couldn't believe their eyes. Like Lian and Marks's friends, they ran quickly to the unconscious fire breather. Ivory stood, still paralyzed by fear. Even, if the orchestra would continue ballade, she wouldn't hear last two stanzas of the prophetic song, which were going to fulfill.


	21. Ballade ends

Chapter 21. "Ballade ends"

Brute was sitting in his room and tried to sleep, but noises of the banquet were much too loud for him. At the moment, when in act of despair, he covered his head with wings and paws, in front of him appeared Octava and Decimo, only two Vengantimos, who looked exactly like dragons, Octava blue, Decimo black. "Trying to sleep, Sexto?" Decimo smiled with sham pity.  
"Don't provoke me." Brute hissed. "How it went, Octava?" He asked another Vengantimo.  
"Flush left letter with reply. He refused." The blue wyvern explained. Brute cursed.  
"So what did you do about that?"  
"I put a poison to his food at this afternoon and made sure that only he ate it." Octava was an expert in making deadly poisons, so his target had no chance to survive.  
"You know Primero's orders. No killing dragons, unless that's unnecessary. Especially not Flush."  
"Well, I saw no other choice." Octava lied through his teeth. Brute sighed deeply.  
"Fine, let it be. So, when will it start working?"  
"Any second now."  
"Good. Leave now. I'm trying to sleep." Both Vengantimos nodded and they were about to leave to their rooms, when they heard terrible female shriek. Sexto turned his head in direction, where it came from. "Is that..." Octava nodded slowly with a devilish smile.  
"Poison started working." It was a sentence of death.

All dragons watched lying on the ground fire breather completely aghast. Ivory felt that she was paralyzed, as if unknown force had bound her limbs, so she couldn't even twitch. Tremor, Candice, Sylvia and Dusty ran to them.  
"Medic!" Sylvia shouted loudly and from the crowd, there appeared a lightning dragon much older than them. He started controlling Flush to find a reason of his sudden collapsing.  
"Ivory?" Candice poked her friend. "Ivory?" The white dragoness ignored her and crouched next to another medic.  
"Master Bolt, what happened to him?" She asked. The lightning dragon cursed silently. He ignored fact that he was called master, even if for three years he had been telling her to don't do it. More important thing was the fact that Flush's state was bad. Very bad.  
"He has paralyzed limbs, this is matter of minutes for poison to start working in the heart." The old medic explained. He knew it was poison, even if no one realized how he figured it out.  
"Poison?" Tremor asked, unsure, if he heard it right. "But how, when?"  
"Definitely not in time of the banquet. Others came earlier, they'd be poisoned as well. It surely has delayed action." Bolt stated. "We have to take him to the hospital where are medicaments." The earth guardian took Flush at his back and all dragons started flying to the clinic. Even if it was night and there was a cold wind, everybody felt warmth of stress and excitement. They reached the hospital. That was when began the fourth stanza of the ballade. Several medics started healing the fire breather, but the white dragoness was standing several meters from them. Everybody knew, why. Her magic was powerful, but couldn't help in situation like this. She was helpless. The lightning dragon cursed loudly. His herbs weren't working at all.  
"Bolt, if you don't hurry up..." One of medics said.  
"I know!" Bolt was shouting now, desperately trying out any herb, which could help Flush. In Ivory's eye appeared simple tear. Whole that situation was so similar to the night, when she lost father. Ivory closed her eyes. Like heroine of the ballade, the white dragoness felt, that she had to do something. Anything.  
"More power. Give me a bit more power... And I'll save him." She whispered with begging voice. Her request was filled. Suddenly, the air around her changed. She could feel energy everywhere and easily absorbed such big amount of it, as never before. She felt creeps around whole her body, full of energy. Young medic opened her eyes. They were glowing with an azure energy intensive like never. All her friends glared at her surprised. Ignoring their sights, she went to medics, who vainly tried to heal the one, who she loved. "Please, stand back." She asked with voice doubled by magic.  
"What are you doing here? You know that your magic can't..." One of medics tried to argue.  
"I know." She answered. "But you all are helpless now and I feel that I can save him." Her teacher watched her carefully.  
"Fine. Everybody, stand back." All dragons took several steps back and the white dragoness sat in front of her beloved fire breather. She put both her paws on his chest and then this happened. All dragons' eyes grew wide as Lian in fifteen seconds healed deep and large wound, which pierced Marks's left lung and split into two parts his sternum. Ivory saw, how parts of a venom slowly start appearing from between Flush's scales and floating higher and higher. Twenty centimeters above the unconscious red dragon, all splits connected into a small black sphere and fell on the ground.  
The white dragoness smiled to herself. "I did it." She whispered. Then she closed her eyes and she'd fall, if not her teacher, who caught her.  
"She's fine. Just overtired a bit." He said. "What about him?" Two medics went to the laying dragon and checked his state.  
"That's impossible! She...She completely healed him!" All dragons sighed with a relief. Her former teacher just smirked.  
"Impossible? She doesn't know this word." He replied, finishing the fourth stanza of the ballade. The black shape several meters from window moved slightly to disappear in next several seconds.

Flush woke up the next morning. After opening eyes, he yawned deeply and then he noticed that he was not in his house, but in the hospital and next to him, there were sitting Tremor and Candice.  
"What happened?" He didn't remember anything.  
"You've completely ruined a party." Tremor explained, smiling silly.  
"You were poisoned." Candice explained, before the fire breather asked her. "You would die, but Ivory healed you using almost whole her magical power."  
"Again." The earth guardian added.  
"Oh..." Flush didn't know what to say at first. "Where's Ivy?" He finally asked.  
"Bolt took her to another room to check her state." Tremor explained. Then in Flush's head appeared some idea.  
"I'm leaving in that case." He quickly stood up from bed and walked to the window, ready to leave.  
"What?!" The ice guardian watched him, completely dumbstruck.  
"Where are Dusty and Sylvia?" Flush asked.  
"They wanted to stay here, but they had to go back to their house and..."  
"Thanks, Tremor." The fire breather interrupted him. "Could you tell Ivy that I have no time to see with her at this moment? I have several things to do in city. Apologize her from me and tell her, to be at the field one kilometer at the east from city, one hour after the sunset, right? She'll know the place." The fire breather watched Tremor carefully, hoping that he remembered everything.  
"Wait, Flush..." The earth guardian tried to stop him.  
"Thanks." Flush jumped through window and flew away, before Tremor said anything more.

"How is that even possible?!" Brute watched carefully Octava. He was mad like never before. "How's that possible that your poison didn't kill him?" He repeated his question, doubting Octava's intelligence. "You decided to kill dragon and he's still alive! Do you realize what our situation is? What will happen, if..."  
"Nothing will happen." Octava remained calm. "Flush won't tell anyone word. He knows the rules of this game. As long as he doesn't collect all pieces of this puzzle, he won't have us. And he doesn't even know my name or face."  
"Anyway, how did he manage to be still alive?" Brute asked angrily.  
"Well, I have no idea. Poison started working and when it starts working, no medicine can neutralize it." Then to room entered Decimo.  
"I can explain it." The newcomer said and both his teammates watched him curiously. "I watched how medics tried to heal him. They had no idea, what to do, but then, some young white dragoness went to him and healed him using a magic."  
"Magic? My poison was defeated by a magic?" Octava couldn't believe that news. "Impossible. In the whole world, there's no healing magic that could..."  
"It wasn't healing magic, but simply brutal strength. She literally made poison float from his body and concentrate into a little sphere. I've never heard about something like that."  
"Me neither." Brute admitted. Then, he cursed silently. "Damn, I wish, Sable was with us. Since he's medic, whole that mess would be less problematic with him here."  
"Yeah, Cuarto would appear to be useful in fight as well. What will we do about that dragoness, Sexto, Decimo? As long, as she's alive, all my poisons are useless." Octava watched his friends expecting answer. Brute smiled devilishly.  
"She gave us no choice. We'll kill that medic brat." He decided. Decimo rolled his eyes.  
"Brute, you said that unnecessary victim..." He started.  
"Since she interferes in the assassination, we have to kill her." Brute said with ordering voice. After all, he had higher rank than they did. And besides that was his favorite part of all missions. Killing time.  
"Brute hit a point, you know it, Decimo." Octava tried to persuade his partner.  
"Alright, alright, let's kill her." He agreed, shrugging. After all, one dead dragon more didn't make even slightest difference for him.  
"Tell us, Decimo, what do we know about her." Brute asked him.  
"I've been following her for a while, so I figured out quite a lot about her. Her name's Ivory, she's about twenty-five years old white dragoness, Wings partly grey and black, especially the endings. I've been watching her earlier, when I followed guardians or Flush, so I know that she wears no jewelry, even in time of banquet. She uses two kinds of magic. One of them is medical and another is fighting. She can create around her an invisible shield and hit enemy with blows of pure energy."  
"You mean fire?" Octava asked.  
"No. Pure, invisible energy. As if she was throwing walls at you. Literally. One strong hit is enough to crush your body."  
"So who will kill her?" Brute asked. He wished, he could do it, but he couldn't appear in city. Everyone would recognize that he wasn't dragon.  
"I." Octava said. "I look like a dragon, so there will be no problem in the assassination. And since she neutral..."  
"No. I spied on her. I'll kill her. For too long time, my paws aren't wet from blood." Decimo said. He and Octava turned at Brute. At this situation, decision was his.  
"Decimo will do it." Brute quickly decided. Octava glanced at him with pleasing sight.  
"Brute..."  
"No objections. Decimo knows her well enough to kill her."

Flush was running across the city. He had whole day, so he didn't have to hurry up, but he was afraid, that he could meet Ivory and then, whole plan would get ruined. After several minutes, he reached the building, he was looking for. He knocked at the door and after several seconds he heard male voice.  
"Come in!" He went to the house and saw young yellow dragoness and white dragon playing in living room.  
"Hi, Amy, Frost. Where's your dad?"  
"He's working in his room, Mr. Flush." Amy interrupted their game and answered.  
"Thanks, kids." Flush quickly went to Dusty's room. "Dusty!"  
"Flush?" The earth dragon watched him surprised. "I thought that you're in the hospital."  
"Morning, Dusty. You work so early?" The fire breather pointed tools laying everywhere in the room. Not stepping at any of them was a real challenge.  
"Yeah. I would spend time with you in the hospital, but I have to finish my work in two days."  
"No problem. Where's Sylvia?"  
"She had to leave city." Dusty said sadly.  
"Job?" The earth dragon nodded. "Damn, when I heard several years ago, what are you two planning to do, I thought that you're kidding me, that no one needs your service. And now you have so much customers that I don't know, how you find time for anything else than doing it."  
"Flush, it's not that much, as you think." Dusty refused.  
"Can I ask you for a favor?" The fire breather gave him a begging sight.  
"Sure, what is it?" Dante agreed, even if he had really bad feelings about it. Flush explained what he needed and Dusty just laughed. "Are you kidding? I can't do it just in one day. Last your order I've been doing for several weeks. I know that this one is rather trivial, but still, it's too complicated to do it until the evening."  
"Please, that's really important for me. You need to repair them." Flush begged him.  
"Yeah, I already guessed, how you will use them, but can't you give me more time?" Dusty pleased his friend.  
"I'm afraid not." Flush refused. The earth dragon sighed deeply. If he had to do that, he would have to work without any pause and still he wasn't sure, that he'd make it in time.  
"Fine, I'll do it, come after them at the sunset." The detective grinned.  
"Thanks, Dusty. I owe you a favor." He smiled thankfully and started running to exit.  
"A big one, Flush!" Dusty shouted to him and heard loud laugh.  
"Of course! See you!" The door closed behind the detective.

For an unknown reason, Tremor and Candice were watching window, which through Flush had left a moment earlier. They were staying there, as if they expected some miracle to happen. Tremor glanced at his mate, who was watching window. Next, he turned head to follow her sight. After several seconds, his eyes came back at his mate. He shook his head.  
"Why are we still sitting here?" He asked slowly. Both dragons burst out with silent laugh. That situation was ridiculous.  
"I have no idea." Candice admitted.  
"Maybe let's deliver a message to Ivory." The earth guardian suggested. Both dragons were about to leave, when in the door appeared Ivory.  
"Where's Flush?" His missing was the first thing, which the white dragoness noticed.  
"He left five minutes ago." Tremor explained.  
"What? Where? Why did you let him go?" She asked resentfully.  
"He said he has something to do, so we didn't stop him. He wanted to apologize you for that and asked, if could you come at the field one kilometer at east from the city one hour after the sunset. He said you'd know which one he meant." Candice's explanation calmed Ivory down a bit.  
"It's going to be your first date, huh?" Tremor asked, smirking. Ivory's scales immediately turned red.  
"Well, we have to go by now." Candice stated. "Sierra and Tundra are surely already worrying, where are we." They bid Ivory goodbye and left. Though the white dragoness had nothing more to do there, she remained in the room, lost in thoughts.  
"Is that actually a date?" She asked herself with disbelief. "Is he planning..." She smiled slightly and blushed. Her heart rate rapidly spiked. "Well… Time will show."

It was already evening. Ivory was flying quickly above the forest. She felt, how strongly and quickly was her heart beating. Excitement was abounding at her so much, that she had lost her way twice and she could swear, she was late. When she landed at last, Flush was already waiting there. The fire breather was lying on the ground and watching stars.  
"Am...Am I late?" The white dragoness asked, blushing with an embarrassment.  
"Of course, not, Ivy. I just came earlier, not to make you wait for me." He lied to avoid abashing her completely. The white dragoness laid next to him and started watching the starry sky too.  
"Beautiful view, huh?" She noticed, trying to stop blushing. Flush just nodded.  
"Thanks for saving my tail." The detective whispered, turning his head to her.  
"I'm doing this all the time since I finished the academy." She replied and watched him. Their sights met. Ivory's cheeks turned crimson.  
"Nope, you're doing that for much longer." The detective replied. Both dragons laughed quietly.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She admitted. "You should be more careful. I wouldn't stare thought… that something happened to you."  
"I'll be fine. And even, if I fall in troubles, you'll save me. Like always."  
"I'm scared to leave you alone for even a second. Once Tremor and Candice will come back to Warfang, I'll make you move in to my house and I'll be looking after you all the time in day and night." She said firmly, or at least tried to.  
"Make me?" Flush smiled silently. "How could I refuse to such beautiful eyes?" He asked and it wasn't helping Ivory at all in slowing down her heart rate.  
"Why did you disappear today? I was worried about you." She changed the subject of their conversation. With her words began fifth, the last stanza of the ballade.  
"Sorry for that, but I had several things to do in city. I had to get ready." The fire breather explained. The white dragoness jerked her head curiously.  
"Get ready? For what?" She watched him suspiciously, but he just smiled mysteriously. That kind of his smile meant that something serious was about to happen.  
"Show me your paw, please." He asked her. Medic looked at him surprised, but obediently filled his request. Looking deeply in his eyes, she felt cold of steel at one of her fingers. She watched her right paw, which he was still holding. At her forefinger he put a silver ring with two gems. Those were ruby and pearl, they looked, as if they were partly mixed, connected with each other, in such way that they could be beautiful only together. The white dragoness watched her friend, unable to say a word.  
"You…mean…" She stumbled. Well, almost unable.  
"Shhh…" He pressed his finger to her lips. "There's something I have to tell you." Flush interrupted her, whispering. The dragoness watched him, fascinated. "I promise to be there when you need me, I promise to hug you tight when you're lonely." The fire breather started. Ivory didn't know, what to say, how to react. "I promise to wipe your tears when they fall and I promise to keep you, not for the rest of my life, but for the rest of yours." The white dragoness watched her friend and felt that he was kissing her. Her heart rate spiked suddenly, even if it had already been getting crazy. It was a soft, gentle kiss that remained for only two or three seconds. "I love you." She heard. At first, she felt shock. She never expected those words from him. Then, joy overwhelmed her. The dragoness glared deeply into his eyes and kissed him passionately. They hugged each other and laid on the ground. "I love you too." The white dragoness whispered and her lover smiled.  
"I thought, you'll never say that." He said, finishing the last stanza of the ballade. Flush and Ivory were laying on the ground and kissing and hugging passionately, lost in a joy. That is, how started the most beautiful night of their life.


	22. The day after

Chapter 22. "The day after"

Tremor, Candice, Dusty and Sylvia were sitting and conversing in Flush's house, when two dragons entered. All dragons turned at newcomers and watched them carefully.  
"Flush? Ivory? Where have you been for whole night?" The lightning dragoness asked. Flush grinned and Ivory blushed intensively.  
"Well, we spent the night outside together." The fire breather explained.  
"Yeah, we did." Ivory confirmed her lover's words. "And you know..." She stopped for a second. "I and Flush..." It was strange feeling for her. She used to hide her feelings towards Flush, when he was so close. "We are mates." She explained. Though they all realized it was possible, they still were surprised. Sylvia opened her jaws with disbelief. Candice watched her completely dumbstruck, unsure, if did she hear Ivory correctly. Two earth dragons weren't shocked at all or perfectly hid that fact.  
"I told you." Tremor whispered to his mate. That was when he noticed rings at their paws.  
"Nice rings. You love giving gifts to show your feelings, don't you, Flush?" He said to Flush. The fire breather flushed a bit. He knew that it was a suggestion about his and Candice's medallions.  
"Wait a moment...I saw that rings somewhere already." Candice said and Sylvia nodded, recognizing them.  
"Yeah, they look like rings, which Ivory's family used to have, right?" The lightning dragoness guessed.  
"No. They not only look like. Those are those rings." Dusty said.  
"But how's that possible?" Candice couldn't believe that news.  
"I had a lot of luck. You know, I found those rings only..." The detective started explaining.  
"Hey, hey, what rings are you talking about?" Tremor interrupted, expecting an explanation. E had no idea what they meant, after all.  
"Well, when Marks confessed his feelings to Lian, my ancestor, he gave her one ring and second kept for himself. Since then, there's a tradition in my family, that when the oldest son or daughter will find mate, parents give that rings to them. And two years ago, my father was dead for several years already, so my mother had hid both rings in a small casket, which was stolen." Ivory explained him.  
"So Flush got them back and gave one of them to you?"  
"Well, not exactly." The detective said. "Rings were in horrible state, when I found them. That's why yesterday I gave them to Dusty, who, as jeweler, repaired them." Flush finished his story.  
"I see." Tremor guessed that was because Dusty spent whole previous day in his house.  
"Oh no." Ivory whispered silently. All dragons watched her surprised. "I should be in a hospital already. Well, I'll go there to explain them, why I can't be today in a job. Give me a quarter."  
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you here." Flush assured her. The white dragoness kissed his cheek and walked to the door.  
"Bye!" The medic left her mate's house and started walking street. For several seconds no one said a word.  
"Too late." Said Sylvia, when she was sure that Ivory didn't hear her anymore. "You've been waiting for too long to tell her that you love her."  
"Yeah." Dusty agreed with his mate. "You could tell it her at least several years ago. She loved you since ever and it looks like you felt this same way all that time, but..." The earth dragon was missing a word.  
"...but you were blind jerk." Tremor finished sentence. Flush just smiled. He didn't try to disagree.  
"Yeah, you all are right." Then she turned his head and at the earth guardian. "Thanks Tremor. You made me open my eyes."  
"No problem. We're friends, aren't we?" Candice smiled as she thought how bond between those two changed. From deadly enemies to good friends in such short time. It felt like that last month was time of complete chaos. Nothing was stable.

The white dragoness left the house and started walking across the city. She was hurrying to the hospital to quickly return to her mate. Mate... It sounded so beautifully... Since the last night, she felt that something changed in her, that she wanted to enjoy every second of her life. That was, when she saw a black dragon walking in a direction opposite to her. There was something wrong with him, he was stepping in a strange way. Though he tried to hide it, Ivory, as medic, noticed that there was something not right with his front limbs. She guessed, he was getting used to walking again after spending very long time in bed, most likely after breaking both arms seriously. But if it were broken bones, she'd have seen him and she didn't remember him. Maybe he came from another town? A male was about two meters from her, when he started watching her carefully, as if he wanted to make sure, that she was a dragoness, who he was looking for. His eyes stopped for several seconds at her ring. Ivory glanced into dragon's eyes. There was something scarring about him, as if he wanted to do something bad to her, so she couldn't force herself to watch him for longer than a second. She was sure that he would speak to her, but he didn't say a word. Ivory stopped watching his eyes to don't get paralyzed by overwhelming her already fear and she passed him. The white dragoness felt creeps across whole her body. She had no courage to turn her head to see the black male again. But she had too good day to get worried about something like that. She shook her head and in several seconds she started enjoying life again completely forgetting about that mysterious black dragon.

Half minute after facing Ivory, Decimo turned around and started following her. That had to be her. The white scales, azure eyes, black horns and talons, characteristic wings. The only new thing was a ring at her right paw, but it was meaningless. His plan for an assassination was simple. In the crowd of dragons, he was going to catch one of her paws to don't let her block herself and next stab her throat. Her fall was going to cause some panic, but before anyone would notice him, he would disappear in crowd. The black dragon was about to walk next to her, when the dragoness changed her direction and started walking faster.  
"What's going on? Did she notice me?" He asked himself. He was sure, Ivory thought she was safe. After all, she wasn't really involved in Venganza's matter. In ten minutes, the white dragoness turned about thirty times and Decimo almost lost her several times. "No, if she would notice that I'm following her, she would come back to her house as quickly, as that's possible and Ivory seems to do something opposite. She's going to hospital." Decimo stated to his relief. For next ten minutes the assassin searched for an opportunity to kill her, but she still was turning, what made him waste time. Then the white dragoness made the worst thing she could. She went in a long and completely empty street, practically unused. The wyvern grinned devilishly. Before anybody would notice her death would pass not seconds, but hours. Decimo jumped in the air and started gliding. It was much more silent than steps or normal flight and corridor had one disadvantage for him. It was very quiet in there, Ivory could hear any noise. The black dragon was right above her, when he dove, appearing behind her, he caught her right paw with his and with left one stabbed her neck. His eyes grew wide, as he noticed that only thing he hit, was the air. Ivory dodged enemy's attack by jerking her head at the left and grasped his arm with left paw. Decimo couldn't see her angry face and had no idea, what was about to happen. Before he reacted, Ivory released her right arm and with her left paw held his right one to straighten it in front of her. When it was straight, she grasped it strongly and punched powerfully his left clavicle with right paw. In effect, his clavicle got broken and his shoulder was painfully dislocated. Pain paralyzed Decimo for several seconds, but Ivory still was impressed that her enemy only groaned silently. If someone would do such a thing to her, she'd scream in agony. The white dragoness shot energy beneath the intruder. A shock wave threw him into the air, but his dislocated arm was still being held, so he didn't fly, but made a semicircle in the air and fell at his back in front of her. Ivory knew, that after that he couldn't do a thing.  
"That hurts, bitch!" He shouted angrily, Ivory just watched him coldly. In her eyes appeared small blue flames burning with pure hatred.  
"You chose a bad target. I can protect myself. I've noticed that you follow me right after we went next to each other. And also, you're the worst thief I've ever seen." Decimo at first couldn't understand, how that was possible that Ivory misunderstood his intention, but after ten seconds, he found an answer. He caught her right paw, where was the ring. And she simply didn't believe that dragon could be member of Venganza. Ivory had no idea that she was supposed to be killed back then. Decimo sighed with a relief stealthily. He had a lot of good luck. The white dragoness watched him with anger and started walking away.  
"Hey, wait. Will you leave me here like that?" The intruder asked, surprised. He expected her to do something more, maybe make some mistake and allow him kill her.  
"Go to the hospital, somebody will take care of that mess of yours, thief." While answering, medic didn't even turn her head. She just walked away. Decimo cursed in his mind. It looked like that dragoness wasn't a weakling, as he expected her to be. She knew, how to knock him out without even using breath attack. Him, Vengantimo, the elite of wyverns. He promised himself that she would pay for that.

The next morning, when Tremor woke up, there was no one in the bedroom. "Hello? Is there anybody?" He asked loudly, but only thing that answered him was a silence. The earth guardian yawned deeply and straightened arms, legs and wings. He stood up from bed reluctantly. He slowly went down to the kitchen, where was already waiting Candice, Sierra and Tundra.  
"Good morning, Candy, kids." Tremor greeted her. The ice dragoness watched him skeptically.  
"Good morning dad!" Twins said simultaneously.  
"Morning? It's already midday." Candice noticed.  
"I thought that you'll wake me up, like always." The earth dragon said a bit surprised.  
"Not this time." His mate replied. Then Tremor noticed that someone was missing.  
"Where is Flush?" He asked.  
"Flush moved out to Ivory's house today morning and asked us to take care after his house." She explained. Tremor yawned deeply. He was really sleepy.  
"Could you..." Candice nodded and wave of the cold air from her lips reached him. The earth guardian felt creeps across whole his body. "Thanks, now I woke up completely."  
"If I keep waking you up like that, you'll catch cold sooner or later." Candice noticed.  
"No worries, Ivory will heal that." Tremor replied. "It isn't big deal for her, is it?"  
"No, it isn't, but she doesn't like being used in such trivial matter." Candice told him. "Not counting being used by Flush. He wrapped her around his little finger years ago." She added after several seconds. "So what are we going to do today? Flush said that he won't need our help in investigation today. I doubt, if he'll do anything."  
"Kids, would you mind, if you spent this day with Amy and Frost?" Tremor asked.  
"No dad." Tundra said.  
"We just wanted to ask you, if we can go to them." Sierra confirmed her sister's words.  
"So how about we go somewhere far away from the city to spend whole day together, Candy? Just you and I. No friends, no kids, no worries..." Tremor suggested, whispering last sentence silently enough to don't let kids hear him. Candice smiled and kissed her mate's cheek.  
"I'd love to. But before we fly away, you should eat something. I don't want you starving whole day." Tremor nodded and went to kitchen to get some food. It was probably his the fastest breakfast, or rather lunch, in whole his life. All dragons were about to leave, when they heard knocking at the door. Tremor rolled his eyes with annoyance. "It will take me moment and we go." He assured Candice. He opened door and saw two dragons, who he would never expect. Especially together.  
"Diego, Ivory? " He asked, a bit dumbstruck.  
"Can we come in?" Ivory asked and Tremor agreed reluctantly.  
"Yeah, sure." Newcomers sat in the kitchen. Diego started speaking first.  
"I thought about this, what I've done. I decided that I want to help you with you investigation. I was talking with Flush about this and he saw no problem, but I have to ask you for permission, since you're dragons, who are involved in this at most." Diego watched them with a pleasing sight.  
"What do you think about this, Candy?" The earth guardian glanced at his mate.  
"For me, it's alright. But if you'll try to betray us, don't hope for a mercy." She said coldly. She still wasn't very trustful about him. The fire breather swallowed hardly. He couldn't help the fact that he found the ice guardian terrifying.  
"Thanks. If you'll need my help, just call me. Bye!" After less than ten seconds, Diego left, not even trying to hide his fear. Tremor started laughing loudly.  
"What?" Candice asked surprised.  
"Well..." Tremor barely could speak. "At first, you threw one of his rings to a river. And now, when he wants to help us, you scare him so much, that his limbs are shaking and he simply runs away. You treat him even worse than I treated Flush at first." He blamed her.  
"What? No! I just don't trust him! Ivory, explain that him..." Candice turned at her friend searching for a help.  
"Enough already." The white dragoness pleased and both dragons stopped speaking. "Thanks, that's better. I wanted to thank you both for all, what you've done at that party, when Flush was poisoned. If you wouldn't do anything, I don't know, if any of us would confess love." Both guardians smiled.  
"My pleasure. Don't forget about Sylvia and Dusty. They helped us also." The ice guardian said.  
"I thanked them already. I guess, that Sylvia was one to order that ballade, huh?" Ivory guessed.  
"Mhm, Karso, the singer, was her relative, so there wasn't any problem about that." Candice explained.  
"And what was the point of that competition?" The white dragoness asked curiously.  
"To enclose you to each other, maybe something would happen? Flush had to hold you, when you were walking down the stage and, as I saw, you kissed his cheek." Candice explained. Ivory blushed hearing last part. "And I thought, you'd stop flushing after you're mates." The ice guardian said, surprised.  
"So did I. I hope I'll stop doing it soon." Ivory confessed. "Well, I owe you great favor. That's why, I want you to help in checking caves since today." The medic offered.  
"Ivory, you really don't have to do it." Tremor refused. The white dragoness rolled her eyes.  
"Even if so, I want to help. My mate is involved, my friends are involved, why shouldn't I be?"  
"Ivory, we have time. And now, when you and Flush are mates, you should have some time for yourselves. At least a week, not interrupted by anything. You deserve for it without any doubts." Candice tried to convince her.  
"You didn't have such a time." Ivory noticed.  
"It was different situation…" The ice guardian argued.  
"Candice, it works this way: the faster, I start helping you, the faster we finish the investigation. And once we're done with it, I'll have as much time for me and Flush, as I want." Ivory explained. Candice wanted to say that something could happen to her or Flush, but she stopped herself. She didn't want to open door to disaster by mentioning it.  
"Alright then, when Flush will tell us that he found the next cave, we'll take you with us." Candice finally admitted, though she didn't like that idea. Ivory smiled thankfully.  
"This time, it's inversely. I know, where the cave is and I had to just show you localization. But, you said, that I can come with you." Candice and Tremor sighed with annoyance. Whole their plan for amazing day was ruined in several minutes. The white dragoness noticed their sad sights.  
"You had plans for today?" She guessed. Tremor nodded slowly with sadness. "I'm sorry. If you want to..."  
"No, that's fine. Duties first." Candice refused. "We'll just take Sierra and Tundra to Dusty and we're going."


	23. Plans for future

Chapter 23. "Plans for future"

At the evening, Flush, Ivory, Candice, Tremor, Tundra and Sierra were sitting at one table and eating a dinner. Since Ivory and detective became mates have passed already four days. From then, guardians, their daughters and a new couple were eating dinner together.  
"So you're leaving tomorrow?" Candice asked Flush, starting a conversation. The detective nodded.  
"Yeah, I finally found Mar and Fuerzo. That may be real breakthrough in our investigation. But don't expect me to be back soon, it may take us even half a week." Ivory jerked her head surprised.  
"Half a week? What will you do so long?" The white dragoness asked with worried voice.  
"They have several things to show me, we'll have to stay in several places for a bit longer." Flush explained.  
"How about I go instead of you, Flush?" Candice suggested. "You should have more free time now."  
"No, that's fine." The fire breather replied with a smile, though firmly.  
"Let me or Tremor do it. You deserve for some rest." The ice guardian was still urging him.  
"You shouldn't worry about him." Tremor said to his mate. "Nothing bad will happen to him. Not now." He assured her. Candice glared at two males, still unsure.  
"Alright, if you so really want so..." She agreed reluctantly. She had bad feelings about this all.  
"You know, I'm glad that Ivory helped us with checking that cave. Without her it would go much slower." Tremor tried to change subject of a conversation, but he quickly regretted his words, as noticed Flush and Ivory's reaction. Detective gave his mate annoyed sight and turned his head at the guardians.  
"I would prefer, if Ivy stayed at the house. I was really worried about her, when she disappeared." He told guardians.  
"And I would prefer you to speak about me to me, not other dragons." Ivory replied silently.  
"Well, I was worried about your sudden leaving and this is what I get in reward?!" He shouted. And that provoked Ivory to make one step more.  
"You tell me, like you're the one who should control whole my life!" Small azure flames appeared in Ivory's eyes, when she was blaming him.  
"I didn't mean anything like that!" He refused. Ivory laughed silently with tone of nervousness.  
"Well, it sounded as if you meant! And also, you don't have to worry about me in such a trivial situation!"  
"Trivial? If that was a hideout of Venganza, you could die! Shouldn't I care about your life!?" He asked, both surprised and angry.  
"You have no idea, how happy would I be!" She replied. That was enough for Flush.  
"Alright then! If you want so, then I stop caring about you!"  
"Fine! I can even leave!" The white dragoness turned around and left the dining room.  
"Hey! It's your house! I am the leaving one!" The detective shouted loudly enough to let Ivory hear her. Then he turned around and left the house by another door. Both mates flew away in completely opposite directions. Candice and Tremor were sitting dumbstruck and unable to say anything.

Long after sunset, Ivory and Flush were watching starry sky in a silence. No one of them said a word to each other for several hours already, since a dinner. The fire breather turned his head to his mate.  
"I can't believe you went with them to that cave." He hoped that he wouldn't start another quarrel.  
"I already told you, I wanted to help them, not just watch, how you and guardians are finishing the investigation." Ivory explained herself.  
"You hate to be useless, huh?" Flush stated. The white dragoness nodded.  
"Since my father's death, I'm doing my best to don't let anyone around me suffer." She noticed.  
"But you shouldn't have gone with them to that cave. It could be dangerous and..." He tried to explain her.  
"Quit that, you know that I don't need to be protected. You saw it several years ago, when I was fighting wolves." Flush smiled, as he thought, how he barely survived back then.  
"I'm sorry, Ivy. Sorry that I shouted at you. I shouldn't... I'm just worried about you." He lowered his sight with an embarrassment and flushed slightly.  
"Hey, am I not the one blushing all the time?" Ivory asked and they both smiled slightly. "I'm sorry too. I let my emotions control myself. I didn't mean that you don't have to care about me." She apologized. They kissed gently.  
"Ivy, please, be careful. Something serious is about to happen." Flush warned her.  
"You should be careful, sweety. You're playing really dangerous game." Ivory was worried about him like never before.  
"I wish that there would be no more bad guys at world. Whole that Venganza... Why there always must be something or somebody, who wants to bring us suffering and death?" The fire breather asked himself.  
"I don't know. Maybe life would be too boring without them?" Ivory asked. Flush glared at her, as if she was mad and then laughed silently.  
"Without a little thrill once for some time, our life would be monotonous, huh?" Flush asked and sighed deeply. "Why can't we all be like stars?" The fire breather started watching stars and Ivory's eyes followed his sight. "Stars just stand at sky and don't do anything bad to other stars. They give their neighbors light and heat and don't want anything in the return. If everybody at our world would be like that, it would be perfect. Like a starry sky." He finished.  
"Starry...Ivory repeated slowly."That would be a good name for our daughter. Starry..." She said this word once more with a dreamy voice.  
"Hey, hey, already planning a family?" Flush asked with surprise. Ivory giggled and blushed softly.  
"I already did." She confessed.  
"W…What did you plan?" The detective asked curiously, unsure, what to expect.  
"We'll have daughter and son. She'll be a fire breather, Starry, and he'll be an ice dragon, Fenris. Between them there will be a year of difference, but no more. We'll move out at the verge of the city to a small house and there rise our children, free from any problems. So, what do you think about this?" She asked curiously.  
"I've never thought about that." He didn't want to admit that, but idea of having child was a little scaring for him. "When did you plan this all?"  
"Long time ago." She confessed, blushing slightly. "So? Is this fine?" She asked silently.  
"Well…" Flush didn't know what to say.  
"You're scared of this vision, aren't you?" Ivory guessed.  
"A little." He agreed. "But how could I refuse to you, sweety?"  
"So, when will we start?" Ivory asked. "Maybe even today?" She suggested hopefully.  
"Patience, Ivy. We have time." Flush refused. The white dragoness watched him, as if she would start crying any second. "I'll be back from meeting Mar and Fuerzo and then we'll start, right? I've already seen lovely house at the verge of city, we could move in there." He tried to propitiate her. Ivory sighed deeply.  
"Fine. I've been waiting ten years after all, three days won't make a difference." She said sadly. Flush nuzzled her lovely in act of consolation. "So you're going to meet with Mar and Fuerzo tomorrow?" Ivory asked, in a bit better mood. The fire breather nodded.  
"Yeah, you know, duty calls."  
"Please, be careful. I don't want anything happen to you, but I can't watch your back all the time."  
"I will. I promise. Could you do something for me?" Flush asked her.  
"What is it?" Ivory jerked her head, nestling in his chest.  
"If something happened to me..." He started  
"Don't even think like that." She interrupted him with silent voice. "Nothing will happen to you, as long, as I'm on your side." She assured him, determinate about her words.  
"If something happens to me, take my ring. I want you to have both of them then." He asked her. The white dragoness didn't argue, she just nodded. "Thank you."  
"Everything will be alright, Flush. Before you'll notice, whole those Vengantimos will be gone and we'll have a happy life." She assured him  
"How can you know that?" Flush asked a bit skeptically.  
"As my dad used to say, how could such romantic story like ours have a bad ending?" Ivory asked, grinning with loving sight.  
"True." Flush smiled slightly. He kissed Ivory once more and both dragons slowly fell asleep.

"Hey, wake up, Ivy." Flush nuzzled his mate lovely. Ivory blinked several times and moaned gutturally very silently. She didn't want to wake up.  
"Already morning?" She asked, not believing her eyes. "Why are all those nights so short?"  
"Well, I overslept actually. Mar and Fuerzo are already waiting for me." Flush said, while standing up. He stretched up, spreading wings, which put a shadow on his mate. Ivory slowly jerked her head at Flush and watched him with loving fascination. She knew she wouldn't give up on him for the entire world.  
"Are you going already?" She asked sadly.  
"Yeah, they won't be pleased, if I'm late." The detective explained, though he didn't want to go.  
"You're already late, so what a difference?" She asked, giving her best to stop him for as long, as she could. Flush laughed.  
"Neither I want to go, but you know that I have to."  
"Well, I'll accompany you to them." She offered and quickly stood up.  
"Let's go then." Flush suggested. They both jumped in the air and slowly flew above waking up city. They weren't hurrying, enjoying themselves. Flush somehow started regretting that he rejected Candice's offer. Ivory was absorbing him at all, so he doubted, if he would find any of his earlier fervor to continue the investigation. "Here we are." He said, as they flew above house, where he used to live. He quickly dove, landing on the ground in several seconds. Though Mar was already waiting, he ignored him to watch Ivory gracefully descending from the sky. She smiled warmly and nuzzled her lovely.  
"Ekhm." Mar coughed meaningfully, so the detective reluctantly stopped watching his mate and turned at the blue dragon. "You're late Flush. I'm waiting for you already half an hour." Mar was obviously annoyed.  
"Yes, sorry. I overslept a bit." Flush explained himself. Then, he noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Fuerzo?" He asked.  
"He'll join us. You know, he's quite impatient type, so he's most likely already waiting for us."  
"I see." Flush sighed sadly. There was no way to delay leaving. "So, I'll be going." He turned at Ivory and kissed her gently. "See you."  
"See you soon." She said sadly. She hated farewells and though that were only three days it seemed to be eternity for both of them. Mar started walking away and Flush followed him. But before he made more than ten steps, he heard her calling him.  
"Flush!" The detective slowly turned around, when Ivory fell into the arms of his and started kissing passionately. He didn't even try to oppose, but let enjoyment overwhelm him. Mar turned around and watched the fire breather with envy. He never was lucky, when speaking about love.  
"Well, I don't want to interrupt, but I have better ways to spend whole day, than watching you two kissing." He noticed loudly enough for them to hear him. Ivory smirked ignoring him, but Flush reluctantly finished their kiss.  
"Watch out for yourself." She pleased him silently.  
"I'll be fine. What bad may happen to me? After all, our story is a romance, not tragedy." He smirked, while nuzzling her. Mar coughed loudly once more. "Goodbye, Ivy." Flush farewell Ivory.  
"Goodbye, Flush." She whispered, while watching him solicitously.

This same day, several hours later, Ivory and Candice stood before a small house at the verge of the city. Ivory smiled, it was quite big and lovely, perfect to raise children.  
"This is here." Ivory said silently.  
"So, shall we get in?" Candice suggested. The white dragoness nodded and they went inside the house. Its walls were pure white, the furniture was in very good state, though dusty. Candice started coughing because of dust floating in the air.  
"It needs to be cleaned up." The ice guardian noticed.  
"True, but not counting that, it's perfect." Ivory said, optimistic about her plan. Then, she sniffed loudly. "I better start cleaning this up and I'll move in quickly." She decided. "Flush will be content for sure."  
"So, how do you feel now?" Candice asked her friend. "With Flush."  
"This…" Ivory couldn't find words to explain it. "This is marvelous, gorgeous, and wonderful! I feel, as if it was just a dream and I'm giving my best to don't wake up." She started speaking.  
"No worries, you won't." Candice assured her.  
"Whatever you say, I still have doubts about that. Anyway, I feel so light so… I want to hug you and then simply run at the street and start singing, how happy I am and I don't care about all those surprised sights. You know, maybe I'll do it right now, before I wake up…" Candice couldn't help it, but laughed.  
"You don't believe it's really happening, do you?" The ice guardian asked.  
"It's too beautiful to be real. Now I'm really jealous about you, when I think that you lived in such a state for whole ten years already… This feeling won't disappear, will it?" Ivory asked with worries.  
"Never." Candice assured her.  
"Yes!" Ivory shouted loudly. "That's, what I'm talking about!" The white dragoness grinned cheerfully. The ice guardian smiled warmly, watching her joy. It looked like Ivory was realizing this sudden change gradually and every next step was giving her even more happiness than previous.  
"So, we'll clean this up and we'll bring here your and Flush stuff before he's back." Candice decided.  
"Will you help me?" Ivory asked, surprised.  
"Of course. Tremor will help you too." The ice guardian assured her.  
"Let's do it then." Ivory said cheerfully.

"So it's a trap, isn't it?" Flush asked, staying in a dark cave, surrounded by wyverns. Behind him, there were staying both Fuerzo and Mar. Before him appeared Brute. The fire breather could clearly see his silver gauntlet with six carbuncles shining in a weak light. "Am I right, Sexto?" The detective asked, cursing in his mind his bad luck.  
"Yes and no." The wyvern replied. "Do you know my offer already?"  
"Yes and no." Flush smirked, repeating Brute's words. "If I won't agree, I'm dead, as I guess. But I still don't know what can I do for you." He didn't sound, as if he really wanted to know.  
"You see, we're planning to make an ambush on the guardians soon. The problem is that we have a squad of wyverns, but we'll have to leave, so there will be no one to lead them. And here is your role." Brute explained. "Since in bottom of your heart you hate Tremor…"  
"You're not serious." Flush shook his head with disbelief. "You don't want me to..."  
"I do. There will be only two dragons. Attacking by surprise you'll take one of them down at the start and second will stand no chance." The wyvern assured him.  
"But Ivory... She'll be with them!" Flush refused. The wyvern sighed deeply, considering. More complications. Decimo only giggled in sinister way.  
"I can stay here and kill her." He offered and Sexto electrified him with sight.  
"Then you'll have to kill her too." Brute stated, speaking to Flush, after several seconds.  
"Do you actually think that I'll kill best friends and my own mate?!" Flush shouted madly, not believing that Brute even dared suggesting that. All wyverns made offensive poses, ready to attack the fire breather.  
"Easy." Brute ordered them. Wyverns sighed with disappointment. They really wished to fight. "Flush, at first kill Ivory. After her death, others won't be that hard." Sexto suggested.  
"You're a cruel person, Brute." Flush said with voice shaking from anger. All he wanted, was to kill Brute.  
"True." The wyvern agreed. "I know you Flush, you're scared of death. You've been at death's door not once, but you're too scared to go at its other side. Uncertain what awaits you there." Detective's eyes grew wide. He heard those words once. He was the one who said that, years ago.  
"Who told you that?" He asked slowly.  
"Primero." Brute answered, not realizing, how reckless that was. Fire breather's eyes grew wide.  
"So he's Primero. That's...unexpected." Flush said to himself and Sexto watched him with disbelief.  
"You know?" Brute asked.  
"Thanks to you, I figured that out. That's my job after all." Flush grinned insolently. "If I work with you, will you let me go?" The detective asked. He was serious about that question.  
"Yes, once those guardians are dead, we need someone in the city to clean up the mess. Ivory's lover, the best friend of guardian, would be perfect." Brute said. He was honest and Flush knew that. "But you cannot tell anyone what you know about Venganza. So, are you with us or against us? Do you choose life or death?" Sexto asked.  
"Do I have any choice?" The fire breather asked rhetorically. He knew that he simply couldn't reject this offer. Decimo grinned. Ivory killed by her beloved mate? That was perfect revenge.

Next three days from Flush's departing Tremor, Candice and Ivory spent cleaning up Ivory's new house and helping her and Flush with moving in. Sierra and Tundra also were helping, when they weren't spending time with friends. A day earlier, Candice, Tremor and Ivory were working there to the middle of night to eventually finish Ivory's moving in. Several hours later, it was early morning and whole Tremor's family was sleeping. The earth guardian was woken up by knocking at the door. He cracked one of eyes reluctantly and was blinded by a rising sun. It was barely after sunrise. He closed eye and hoped that guest would give up. He was waiting for half a minute, but until then, noise woke everybody around and Candice went to open a door.  
"Diego? That's you?" She asked with a sleepy voice.  
"Isn't that obvious?" Diego smirked.  
"Please, come in." Candice ignored his question. The fire breather noticed that everybody just woke up.  
"Overslept?" He asked curiously.  
"Haven't you come a bit too early?" The earth guardian couldn't say that he was pleased with that visit.  
"Well, I have something, what will wake you up quickly." Diego stated. Both guardians watched him dumbstruck, as he shown them a sheet of paper with some inscription on it.  
"What's that?" Candice asked, while reading it.  
"Information for you, guys, from Mar and Fuerzo." He gave dragons the note. As they read them, Candice's eyes grew wide. That indeed immediately woke her up.  
"Tremor, I'll get Ivory, you fly to that location. Diego, could you take care after Sierra and Tundra?" The ice dragoness asked. She would never come up with that idea unless she wasn't in such hurry. Diego rolled his eyes, disappointed.  
"I would prefer to go with you, but if this is so important for you, I'll do it." The fire breather admitted, though reluctantly. After less than a minute, both guardians left the house. From that simple note, they knew that at this day, a lot of blood was going to be shed. But they couldn't know whose blood it would be.

"Could you explain me, why are we here so early?" Ivory watched two guardians, who were staying in front of an entrance to some cave with blaming sight. She yawned and tried to don't fall asleep. "Can't we come here later? I know that I declared to help you, but I had so much to do in the hospital, that I've been sleeping for three hours. Or less." The white dragoness complained.  
"Didn't you explain her, Candy?" Tremor asked with disbelief. The ice guardian shook her head. "Today, Diego gave us information about possible localization of Venganza's hideout. Problem is that we have to quickly investigate it, or we'll miss our chance."  
"So there will be wyverns?" Ivory asked hoping for confirmation, but Tremor shrugged.  
"Plausible. Let's hope, that we will find here something worth seeing." Three dragons went inside the cave. First thing, which they noticed, was a light. The ceiling had a system of little holes, because for which it wasn't too dark and they didn't have to use torches to see anything. Then, horrible smell reached them.  
"Dear ancestors!" Candice, like rest of dragons, covered her nose by paw. "What is that smell?!"  
"I would prefer not to know." The earth guardian felt that he's about to vomit.  
"Smells like rotten flesh and mold." Ivory explained. Tremor gave her annoyed sight.  
"You could have spared me this information." Tremor muttered. He started walking first, but after ten meters stopped. In front of them, there was a small lake, so they had to swim or fly. Because water was green and smelled hideously, their choice was obvious. Tremor watched green water, while flying and felt creeps, as he noticed something long and dark floating at the surface. He would prefer to avoid that water.  
"Not bad place for a hideout. There's no way that anybody would find them accidentally." The ice guardian noticed. After they flew above the lake, it was easy to notice a difference. From that point on the ground, there were placed cobblestones, not just an earth. Candice, Tremor and Ivory landed. In front of them were three corridors.  
"Are we going to separate?" The earth guardian asked.  
"No. If any of us would meet more than one Vengantimo, he would be in big problem. Especially me, because only I'm not a guardian." Ivory noticed, as voice of reason won against her will to finish this all quickly and go sleeping.  
"We'll check every tunnel together. It will take longer, but it's safer." Candice decided.  
"Which one first?" Ivory glanced at her friends waiting impatiently for an answer. All she wished was to finish that quickly and finally go sleeping.  
"Right." Candice decided. Three dragons flew to the tunnel. After some time, from air disappeared stench. All three dragons took deep breaths and sighed with relief, as they felt a fresh air. But at that point, good news have finished. To check two first tunnels, they spent more than hour. And now they were watching carefully last one for twenty minutes already. The ice guardian felt that impatience is growing in her. When she wanted to say something, she felt, that she pressed one of rocks to the ground. All dragons heard some crackling noise. Then, from the end of corridor, appeared twenty arrows flying at them. Dragons jumped in the air and let bullets fly beneath them. Then, they saw next wave of arrows coming at them, this time, it was no way to dodge it. Both guardians quickly made wall of ice and earth, which stopped all arrows. Dragons landed on the ground.  
"That was close. But thanks for that trap, we can be sure, that it's right cave." Tremor was very optimistic, but Candice still was unconvinced, if that was right cave.  
"Or there were traps in all those corridors, but we activated only this one." Candice noticed. Both guardians stopped and Ivory walked before them and started looking around.  
"You're too skeptic, Candy. Give us five minutes and we'll surely find something." Tremor assured his mate.  
"We've spent an hour checking previous two caves. I doubt if we'll find something just like that..." Candice intended to continue arguing, when Ivory called them.  
"Hey! I found something!" Ivory shouted cheerfully. Tremor sent his mate meaningful sight and Candice sighed deeply. Guardians jerked their heads to see her holding some handle and trying to open about two times higher than her gate.  
"You see?" Tremor smirked in a silly way to Candice. "We better help her." Before they came to her, Ivory tried several times to open a door. While doing this for fifth or sixth time, she yawned deeply, slipped at puddle of dirt water, dropped metal handle and collapsed, so her face landed in a green liquid. The white dragoness quickly stood up and started coughing with disgust. "I think I... drank some of it." She said, while coughing. Tremor and Candice started laughing. Ivory gave them annoyed sight.  
"Sorry, but that was hilarious." The ice guardian tried to stop laughing. Ivory just rolled her eyes.  
"Alright, just help me open that." She said. Three dragons grasped big handle and started pushing the door, but it didn't move even a centimeter after ten minutes of tries. They sat on the ground in surrender. All three were completely exhausted. Candice started watching metal gate, as if she wanted to melt it with sight.  
"There's no use. We can't move this. There must be another way." Ivory was watching door carefully. Then, in Tremor's head, appeared a brilliant idea.  
"Ivory? Have you tried to pull that door?" He asked. The white dragoness burst out with laugh and shook her head. She didn't even think, that this door should be pulled, not pushed. Tremor stood up and went to door. Both dragonesses did this same and stood right behind him. Ivory stopped laughing.  
"Alright then. Let's open it." She said. Tremor grasped the handle and pulled door strongly. Gates were wide open now, they finally saw, what was behind it. That room was lit, like whole tunnel. But that was only similarity. Three dragons watched room with disbelief.  
"Impossible..." Candice whispered. Her mate, completely aghast, slowly turned his head to watch Ivory. The white dragoness felt that her heart skipped a beat.  
"N...No..."


	24. Prejudice

Chapter 24. "Prejudice"

This same day, when Tremor, Candice and Ivory were investigating the cave, Zealous was flying across Leafen all alone. The purple dragoness was wondering, who would lose a bet, Torch or Zap. To the end of their bet only week left. It was almost sunset and there weren't many dragons at streets already. She didn't have to go back yet, she still had hour or two, but she was already starving and tired, and really wanted to eat a dinner. While flight, youngster started thinking about time, she spent in Leafen. They were there for twelve days already and she really enjoyed that time. She met a lot of dragons in her age and loved to play with them games, race or just wander pointlessly.  
"Good evening, little dragoness." She heard cordial voice. Zealous landed and turned around to see five dragons. They were much older than her, Zealous guessed, that oldest one had twelve or thirteen years. The fire breather, who obviously was leader of that group, gave her friendly smile.  
"Did you call me?" Zealous asked him after several seconds of hesitation.  
"Yeah. Are you Zealous, a daughter of the purple dragon, Spyro? I heard a rumor that he came to the city." That surprised youngster. No one she met before, knew her name just like that.  
"Yeah, but parents told me to don't talk with strangers." She was about to turn around and leave, but the fire breather called her again.  
"My name is Vade. Now you know me, I'm not stranger, right?" He gave her warm smile.  
"Well..." Zealous really wanted to go back to her house, but she was too good-hearted, to tell it them. "Fine by me."  
"Do you want to play some game with me?" Vade suggested. The purple dragoness understood, that Vade wants to keep her there for longer than she expected at first.  
"Alright, but ten minutes, not more. I wanted to go at the dinner alre..." The fire breather clapped with his paws loudly with an amusement.  
"Perfectly, ten minutes will be enough." He assured her.  
"So what are we going to do?"  
"Let's go to better place." Five dragons jumped in the air and Zealous followed them. They stopped in the big building. It probably used to be a hangar someday, but actually it was completely empty. Whole floor was covered with sand.  
"So what are we going to do?" The purple dragoness repeated her question.  
"How about little sparring? We both will shoot at each other our breath attacks and see, whose is stronger." The red dragon expected that dragoness would be scared, even a bit, but she wasn't showing that.  
"Alright." Zealous nodded and smiled, but in heart, she felt stress about idea of fighting somebody twice older and bigger. At first, she wanted to refused, but she was sure, he'd give her a head start. And besides that, Torch decided to fight against that mutant wyvern, she wasn't going to give up against just young dragon.  
"Perfectly. Ready?" Vade asked. Youngster nodded.  
"Three, two, one, fire!" Both dragons released breath attacks from their mouths. Vade's fireball crushed at dragoness's ice spikes. Between them, there appeared small cloud of steam. It looked like their attacks were at this same level. "Not bad, Zealous. This time, I'm going to give my best, so do this same and be careful to don't get hurt." He warned her.  
"Bring it on, Vade!" The purple dragoness laughed nervously, quietly enough to don't let another dragons hear that. She knew that she barely countered the last attack and if this one was going to be stronger, there was no speaking of blocking it.  
"Ready?" Vade said and started counting. "Five, four..." When he said 'four', from mist between her and Vade appeared fireball, which exploded right in front of Zealous. Sudden blast of the air threw her on the ground two meters behind her. The purple dragoness collapsed and felt pain at her left arm. She noticed blood slowly dripping on the ground from wound made by one of stones thrown by explosion.  
"Th...That hurts, Vade." She said silently and tried to don't cry. The fire breather appeared from the mist, right next to the dragoness lying on the ground.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry." He said that words with so intensive sarcasm, that even such youngster as Zealous noticed it. "I would help you to get up, if you weren't Cynder's daughter." He mentioned her mother's name scornfully. The purple dragoness watched him dumbstruck, out of ideas, what to do.  
"What are you talking about?" She asked. Vade crouched in front of her and lowered his voice.  
"Do you know why Cynder's a black dragoness? She was cursed by our ancestors, because of things, she had done in time of the war. That's also why she hasn't normal element, but some strange powers. Malefor had to give her part of his own, dark power."  
"Stop it Vade! That's not funny anymore!" Zealous shouted.  
"For us, it is funny, isn't it?" Vade turned his head to glare at four his friends.  
"Yeah!" They all answered the fire breather's question.  
"Why are you talking so terrible things about my mom?" Young dragoness asked. The fire breather gave her cold and hateful sight.  
"Because I believe, that Cynder deserves for a punishment, for all, what she has done. And I'll start punishing her, from her little bastard." He explained. Zealous stuck her talons in his cheek and wanted to give him painful wound, but Vade was faster. He caught her paw, before she made harms any longer and took it away from his face. At his right cheek were five little red points. Vade hissed angrily, he raised his paw and clenched fist, ready to hit a young dragoness. Then he started whispering again.  
"I heard much worse things about your mother. When she was Malefor's pupil, she was also his..."  
"Hey, you!" They heard shout behind them. All dragons looked behind Zealous at the newcomer. The purple dragoness jerked her head to see young fire breather. From her cheek fell tear, as she smiled.  
"Torch." She whispered with relief.  
"Leave Zealous alone!" Every word, Torch said slowly. His voice was filled with anger. He was really pissed off.  
"Or what?" Vade laughed. "Are you going to fight against us to protect that bastard?" Vade was about to hit Zealous, when small fireball reached his fist. The fire breather dropped dragoness's arm and hissed painfully. Then he shot big fireball at Torch. Young fire breather dodged it easily making one step at the side. Then, he yawned deeply.  
"Not bad. But I didn't miss." Torch stated mockingly. That pissed Vade off.  
"You can't protect her alone, moron!" The bully shouted. Torch's eyes grew wide, as older fire breather's fist started getting closer to Zealous's face. The dragoness couldn't dodge it, so she just closed her eyes. But Vade's fist didn't reach its target. It stopped several centimeters from her. His eyes grew wide, as he glared at a young lightning dragon, who appeared from nowhere, holding his arm with both paws, barely stopping it.  
"Who said, that he's alone?" The newcomer said. Torch sighed with relief.  
"Just in time, Zap!" The fire breather shouted to him with smile.  
"Hero appears at the last moment, right?" He turned his head at friends and grinned.  
"How did you make that so fast?" Vade asked, dumbstruck. He still couldn't believe his eyes.  
"Lightning dragons can move really fast." Zap explained.  
"But you're too young to use it!"  
"My mom taught me basics of that skill at Warfang two weeks ago. She was right, that's quite useful."  
"To run away." Vade finished youngster's sentence.  
"To protect." Zap corrected him. Vade attacked by surprise with paw, which wasn't held by youngster. Zap leaned down just in time. He and Zealous jumped back to Torch.  
"Are you alright, Zealous?" Torch was really worried about her.  
"Yeah, my paw hurts a bit, but that's just scratch." All three youngsters watched slowly bleeding dragoness's paw.  
"You hurt her!" Zap shouted to Vade angrily. Between his jaws were jumping small lightings. Torch watched older fire breather with anger. If that sight could kill, Vade would be already dead.  
"So what, if I did?" Vade asked.  
"So I challenge you!" Torch replied. Zap and Zealous looked surprised at their friend.  
"If you challenge me, you challenge my friends also." Vade smiled ominously.  
"Fine by me." Torch agreed though he felt, as if he was writing his own sentence of death.  
"You know, you have no chance." Zap stated. "But I'm not going to miss this for a world." Young lightning dragon stood confidently ant Torch's side. "I'm in."  
"Me too. I'm not going to just watch, how you two fight for me." Zealous stood between them. Vade started laughing.  
"So three youngsters want to fight against our five? You really believe that you stand chance?"  
"Shut up and bring it on!" Torch shouted.  
"Like when we fought against that wyvern, huh?" Zap whispered. Torch nodded. Their chance to win was this same like then; between zero and miracle.  
"No worries, you have me on your side." The purple dragoness said, as if she was going to change the tide of this fight. Then, all eight dragons shot their breath attacks. Streams of fire, electricity, earth and ice were about to crush, when in the center of the battlefield appeared small tornado, which absorbed all elements.  
"What the..." Vade said loudly, surprised and disappointed, that again, someone interfered. When a dust fell on the ground, he saw Spyro and Cynder staying in front of three youngsters.  
"Sorry, for waiting for us so long kids. We heard Zealous, but we couldn't find you anywhere." Spyro said and watched Vade with contempt. Contempt to dragon, who ill-treated his daughter.  
"Will you explain yourself or we have to make you do it?" Cynder asked. It was obvious for Spyro that she was angry even more than him and she wasn't going to let that fire breather without a punishment.  
"I'm not going to say you a word, you black, cursed and..." Nobody ever heard how Vade wanted to call Cynder. Spyro was the only one to notice moment, when she disappeared in shadows to materialize right before the fire breather. Before Vade reacted, her tail had already wrapped around his throat and her silver tailblade was touching his lips gently. The fire breather just squeaked fearfully.  
"Be careful, which words is your jaw letting out, or you may lose it someday." She whispered, her eyes were glowing with anger. The red dragon swallowed hardly. Cynder dropped him and went back to her family.  
"Spyro, take kids to home. I'll deal with that bullies." The purple dragon had feelings, it wasn't safe idea. For those five dragons of course.  
"We'll do it together." He stated, the black dragoness smiled with understanding and nodded. She turned her head at Zealous, Torch and Zap.  
"Go back to home with Torch and Zap. When you'll be there, ask Mr. Fervor for plaster for that wound at your paw. Understood, sweety?" She told Zealous. Young dragoness nodded. She turned around and all three youngsters were about to fly, when Cynder called them once more. "Zap, Torch, thank you."  
"We did what we had to do, Mrs. Cynder." They said and youngsters left the building. Spyro turned his head and watched carefully five teenagers.  
"What are we going to do about them, sweety?"  
"At first, they will apologize." She decided, as if she already knew, they'd do it.  
"I'm not going to apologize you, Cynder!" The black dragoness rolled her eyes.  
"Not me. Zealous. And stop calling me by a name."  
"Or what, Cynder?!" Last word of the fire breather was filled with offence. The black dragoness smiled devilishly. She had one idea, what to do about him.  
"You really want to know? Alright then. What's your name?" The red dragon was confused with that question, but he told her his name, stumbling a little. "Let's play a game 'get Vade'. I'll give you ten seconds to do whatever you want. Then, I'll chase after you with intend to kill. Understood?" She asked. The purple dragon watched her surprised.  
"Cynder?" He asked with both worries and disbelief. Worries about Vade, not her, of course.  
"Don't interfere. Please." She asked him with a warm voice.  
"You really are going to..." He tried to ask, but Cynder interrupted him with paw.  
"Yes." She said. This one word sounded as if sentence of death. Spyro smiled slightly as he notice her winking.  
"Alright, if you want to, I won't oppose." Spyro said loudly to make Vade sure about what was going to happen. The fire breather watched them dumbstruck. For all that time, he was staying still, paralyzed by a fear. Thousands thoughts were flying across his mind. "They'll kill me?" He asked himself with disbelief. "Is Cynder able to kill me? Surely. Do I stand chance against her? Her, who together with Spyro defeated Malefor in age of fifteen? Not at all. Am I fast enough to run away? I don't think so. What to do, what to do..."  
"One." Cynder started counting. His heart stopped for a moment. He had to do something, but he had no idea, what.  
"Two." The fire breather turned around and started running, while cursing himself for being so offensive to her.  
"Three." He had a plan. When he'd reach door, he'd scream. Maybe somebody would make it in time to save him. He knew that it was cowardly, but he preferred to be a coward than a corpse.  
"Four." Vade noticed his friends, who didn't even twitch all that time, scared, as if they were the ones about to die. He was almost at door, just two or three seconds more...  
"Ten." Cynder used power of shadows to appear next to him. Before Vade noticed that, he was lying at his back and her white and well-sharpened teeth were touching his throat. From that perspective, they looked even more fearfully. Right when he thought, she would finish his life, the black dragoness dropped him and made a step back.  
"Ridiculous" she said. At her face appeared slight, amused smile, as if she was stopping herself from bursting out with laugh.  
"Th…that's not funny!" He shouted, still scared.  
"For me it is." Cynder replied. Vade recognize those words. Those were this same, as he had said to Zealous. The fire breather hung his head. The black dragoness was right, he did something horrible.  
"I'm sorry, Master Cynder. I said her terrible things about you and your daughter, but I just repeated my parents' words. I'm sorry for you too, Master Spyro. I really regret my words." Though so sudden and unexpected change, they knew that he was honest. "How about we all come tomorrow to your house and apologize?" Vade suggested.  
"I think that's good solution." Cynder was glad, that Vade was the one to say that. Though her method was rather brutal, he felt guilt for what had he done.  
"Yeah." Spyro admitted. "Your four can go now..." The purple dragon said to Vade's company. "...but I want to go with you, Vade, to your house. I need to talk with your parents."  
"I'm coming with you."  
"No." He refused. Cynder watched him surprised, she didn't understand why he didn't want her to go with him. "I don't want you to hear that." Spyro explained, but she still seemed to be unconvinced.  
"Alright. I'm going to home then." Cynder straightened her black wings and jumped in the air. She covered herself with wings and spun while flying through door, then straightened wings and disappeared in complete darkness. Spyro watched her until he lost her from his sight, then he called the fire breather.  
"Will you lead me to your home, Vade?"  
"No problem, Master Spyro." Young fire breather and the purple dragon started flying slowly across city. Vade, watching Spyro's determination to speak with his parents, felt hung his head with embarrassment. "It's here." He muttered after several minutes of walking in complete silence. Spyro landed next to him and knocked at the door oh Vade's house. After several seconds it was opened by two dragons. Female was yellow and male was red.  
"Good evening. My name is Spyro." The purple dragon introduced himself, bowing slightly.  
"Good evening, I'm Roy and this is my mate Micca. Has our son done something bad?" The old fire breather had already got used to situations like that.  
"He wanted to fight my five years old daughter and offended her and her mother. I don't know, what he said, but he admitted that it was painful for both of them."  
"Vade, why did you do that?" The old fire breather was surprised by that news. Spyro barely stopped himself from shouting "because of you".  
"I think that he should go back to his house for while. I need to talk with you." Roy was dumbstruck by that, but he agreed and Vade walked inside his house.  
"What's the problem?" The old fire breather asked, though he already knew, what it was.  
"As I said, my name is Spyro, the purple dragon. My mate is Cynder and my daughter's name is Zealous. I heard that you both told your son terrible things about my family without any reason." Spyro's voice was shaking with anger, he felt his blood was boiling.  
"Not without a reason." The fire breather was watching him coldly.  
"Then why?" Spyro asked. He didn't understand it, Vade explained him earlier that Cynder hadn't done anything bad to his family directly.  
"I don't know, why ancestors cursed you to fall in love with that black dragoness." Roy changed a subject of conversation.  
"It's not the curse, but the blessing!" The purple dragon refused shouting, resentful for such a suggestion.  
"Even if she would really love you and this bond was destined to you, you still need something more than just a destiny." The fire breather continued, Micca admitted with him in silence.  
"What are you talking about?!" Spyro was really angry. He had no idea, why was the fire breather telling things like that.  
"This what I, my mate and hundreds dragons think about. She supposed to be dead, but you cheated death, which was coming after her after you defeated her at Convexity. But still, she gave world too much pain, she killed too many dragons to be joined back to our society. She lived in shadows of evil for too long. Someday, there will be a dragon, who will say enough. Somebody brave enough to don't care about consequences. Somebody strong enough to finish her existence and let her fade away into shadows, which own her mind and heart already. And she will join her real master, Malefor." Then Roy smiled devilishly, as he watched the dragoness staying behind Spyro. Night and black scales were hiding her perfectly, but he saw her green eyes at the very beginning of his monologue. The purple dragon turned his head to see Cynder. The first thing he saw was simple tear in her eyes. She turned around and beaten wings strongly, jumping in the air. She was flying, as fast as only wind can. She didn't care where she flew. Only thing, that she wanted, was to forget. But she couldn't. There always was someone, who kept her remember.  
"Cynder, wait!" Spyro shouted, as he followed her. He almost caught up with her, but the black dragoness speeded up. She wanted to be alone. But after long pursuit, Spyro eventually laid his paw at her shoulder, gently making her land. They weren't in the city anymore, but in the middle of forest. The black dragoness hugged her mate and continued crying. Tears were trickling down his shoulder.  
"Don't cry, sweaty. Everything will be fine." He tried to cheer her up, angry at himself, that he let her follow him.  
"It won't be fine. Every time, I try to forget, somebody reminds me. Who I was. Who I killed." She was crushed. She felt that she couldn't fight against sign of her past anymore.  
"Shhh…" He nuzzled her cheek lovingly. "Everyone has bad days, but with friends on your side, it will be much easier. Just stay with us and everything will be fine. I promise." He assured her, with voice so confident that she started believing him.  
"Do you still believe that? That I will forget?" She asked, still doubting.  
"Yes. I have no doubts that you can deal with it. Just like you've dealt with Vade." Spyro noticed. Cynder smiled, but tears didn't stop to fall.  
"If you believe so strongly, maybe I should do it too, huh?" The black dragoness asked. She understood that Spyro was right.  
"Yes, I think you should." He confirmed, smiling. After ten minutes, tears stopped falling down Cynder's cheeks. Two dragons were lying at the grass now, enjoying themselves.  
"Could we spend night here?" Cynder suggested.  
"Mhm. It's so beautiful and silent here." It was hard to disagree with her idea.  
"Finally no Sparx around. And no grublin will appear from nowhere." The black dragoness smiled with satisfaction.  
"Not speaking of Angelo." Spyro added. Cynder laughed silently in reply.  
"What will we do, after we get Venganza? Will our life be like before?" She asked.  
"Only change is that there will be more dragons in Warfang, but it's positive. I think." He added last two words after a second. "But I'm worried, if will we have any time for ourselves with all that duties."  
"Yeah." The black dragoness nodded. "Kids, Warfang..."  
"Seems like we're going to work at day and rest at night."  
"Rest, not sleep." Cynder noticed. Both dragons laughed and their sights met. Spyro was watching deeply into beautiful eyes of his mate, as Cynder's green eyes locked on Spyro. The black dragoness kissed her mate gently. This night, two mates spent together in the forest.


	25. Despair

Chapter 25. "Despair"

Tremor, Candice and Ivory were staying in the place, which used to be Venganza's hideout. That was big and well enlightened room with stone walls. Whole room was a terrible mess, as Candice would say. Everywhere were parts of broken shelves and lockers, where were empty bottles and equipment's package, most of them in pieces. There were three wooden makeshift beds, crushed as well. On the ground were lying forty bodies of dead wyverns. But this all didn't matter. Only thing that was important was lying in the center of the room.  
"Impossible..." Candice whispered, not believing her eyes.  
"No." Ivory said, aghast. She shook her head, unable to believe her eyes. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't get rid of that vision from her mind. "No. No! No!" She screamed with despair, understanding that her senses weren't laying her. It was a dragon. A red dragon. He was lying at his side, at his neck, there was hanging a golden medallion and at his finger, there was red and white ring. "Flush!" Ivory screamed and ran to him. Tremor and Candice were so aghast, they didn't even twitch. The ice guardian felt that her eyes were wet. Ivory fell on the ground next to her mate. She meant to only crouch, but she couldn't control her body. Whole Flush's body was covered in wounds. She opened his eyes. They were so cold, so dead. She touched his forehead. It was as cold, as his eyes. "No..." She faltered. "Flush! You...you can't die! You can't!" She touched his throat, but she couldn't feelhis pulse. "I need you!" She screamed, crying. Ivory noticed that the fire breather's sides weren't moving, but she didn't find any mortal wound. That was, when she noticed that at his forehead was a small spot of gore. The sign after a needle, which went across his head. The detective couldn't have survived that. "He...He's… dead." Ivory whispered. It was obvious, but the burden of truth was so great, she couldn't take it. Flush gone? It was so... unbelievable. He... He was always there, standing at Ivory's side for better or worse. How could he be gone just like that? One day he was and the other... Through the waterfall of tears falling on the ground, Ivory noticed that at Flush's paw was written something with his own blood. It was one word. "Ambush." She whispered that slowly. Then, some of wyverns, who seemed to be dead, stood up quickly and jumped to Ivory in intend to kill her. The white dragoness's eyes immediately glowed with an azure energy. All her sorrow turned into hatred. Wave of the magic that she released, threw all wyverns at walls of the room. All three dragons jumped away from there and landed several meters from the gate. All ten wyverns quickly stood up and left room also. They all were ready to attack. Guardians made offensive poses, when Ivory stood in front of them.  
"Tremor, Candice, I know that you can handle them, but stand back." She whispered with ordering voice. "I'll kill them all." Her voice was filled with hatred. It didn't sound like Ivory spoke it, but as if she was possessed by some dark power.  
"Ivory..." Candice wanted to stop the medic.  
"Don't you dare stopping me!" Ivory turned to guardians with mad sight of eyes glowing with azure energy, which started flowing from her.  
"But..." The ice dragoness tried to oppose, but she interrupted her again.  
"Don't you dare." The wizard repeated slowly. Something in her voice told Candice that Ivory let hatred overwhelm her completely. Even guardians could feel whole energy that she had already released around herself. They also noticed azure bloodthirsty fire, burning in her eyes. Ivory was mad like never before. Completely unpredictable, uncontrollable. Candice wanted to stop her from bottom of her heart, but she knew that in that situation, she couldn't do it without hurting, maybe even killing her. Or herself.  
"Which one of you is a boss?" Ivory's voice, unnaturally doubled with her magic, scared most of her enemies. Around her appeared circles of the blue energy, which were leaving burnt marks at the stone. Whole her body was covered in dense azure aura. The air around the white dragoness became much hotter and thicker. At circumstances like those, she loved her magic, which power was basing on her emotions. She already knew that she was going to make blood freezing carnage.  
"I am the leader." The wyvern staying at the end said confidently.  
"Good.I'll slaughter you at the very end." The white dragoness was ready to release her real power. Last time, she used it in battle, she had to be careful to don't waste too much of it, but not this time. She opened her jaws and let her power, multiplied by hatred, surrounded her. The wave of energy reached two first wyverns at her left and killed them instantly, not only crushing their bodies, but also covering them in burns. Ivory shot again, this time on the ground beneath her feet. The strength of that blow threw her right before one of enemies. The wyvern tried to shield, but Ivory slashed his chest to, grinning with bestial pleasure, turn his heart, lungs and ribs into bloody shreds. Two wyverns attacked her from both sides. She straightened paw at one of them crushing him at the wall with magic with such a power that several small stones fell down the ceiling. The white dragoness easily dodged another enemy's hit and bit his throat, killing him instantly. The wyvern fell on the ground, all over covered in burns.  
"Ivory, stop!" Candice shouted. Then, wizard jerked her head at her and watched deeply into her eyes. Ivory chuckled ominously at first and then laughed aloud savagely.  
"Why should I?!" She asked rhetorically, raising her arms widely and standing on hinder legs."Their death is all I want!" The wizard sounded as if she was twisted minded, her doubled with magic voice and aura of evilness, which she had never seen before. All wyverns stopped, watching her fearfully. Candice watched her with disbelief. This hatred, unstoppable will to slaughter... If she tried to stop her, Ivory would just kill her. She could see it too clearly in her eyes.  
Ivory, realizing that guardians wouldn't try to stop her, jerked her head to see three other wyverns running to her. Why they were running, not escaping? Maybe they really believed that attacking all at once would change anything? They attacked at this same moment. She howled angrily crushing their bodies with the magic and throwing two of them right in front of their boss. The third one didn't stop, but jumped to her. Then, the wizard caught his neck and started choking the enemy. She raised him slowly. Then, she grasped him strongly, crushing his throat. Then, she dropped the corpse of wyvern. Her sight stopped at the last living wyvern. The wizard licked lips covered in blood, as she watched him carefully. Killing all those wyverns took her less than ten seconds and though she used great amount of energy already, she seemed to don't be tired even at the slightest. She only enjoyed the show.  
"Do you think that I'll run away because of something like that?" The last wyvern asked. He curled his lips in disgust, as the stench of a burnt flesh reached his nostrils.  
"I hope you won't. Chasing you would ruin whole pleasure of killing you." Ivory was about to attack, when the wyvern took needle from ground and threw it at Ivory. The bullet was stopped at magical shield, which turned into the shockwave. The wyvern jumped above it at the last moment. He was fast. He was experienced. He was good fighter. But he couldn't win. He attacked with both paws, but Ivory easily blocked both blows and shot his chest with the pure energy, throwing him at the wall. The wyvern felt air rush from his lungs, as all his ribs got broken. He tried to shield from another her blows, but he felt that he couldn't move. He was paralyzed moment earlier, as Ivory pressed two her talons to his torso.  
"It's over." The white dragoness whispered with hissing voice. She hit his head with a paw and sent him in the air using magic. She jumped to follow him. "Don't worry." She said silently. "You will suffer." Ivory gave her best to keep her promise. At first, she pierced both his paws with talons. Next she stuck her paws between two bones of his arm and released a magic pulling them apart. Later, she stabbed his shoulders, and started slashing his legs with the tailblade. She left him ten deep wounds, before she decided, it was enough. She was torturing him slowly, enjoying every of his groans of the pain with some sick, savage pleasure. The dragoness crushed his kneecaps with a magic, making him scream painfully. Next, she did this same to his tibias. Ivory stabbed his lungs, and then underbelly. At the end, she pierced his heart and sent down to the ground with a powerful blow of the magic, crushing his body. In the moment, the wyvern reached the ground, he was already dead. Ivory slowly descendedon the ground, turned with her back to the guardians. The circles of magic still were surrounding her, glowing even more intensively. Whole wyvern's blood covering her evaporated and gore was burnt, leaving no sign at her purely white scales. Ivory was watching her mate's body with despair. Then Candice walked to her and stood right before first circle of the heat.  
"Flush." Ivory whispered with shaking voice, still doubled by magic. She squeaked pitifully.  
"Ivory." Candice called her, worried about the medic.  
"Leave me alone!" The white dragoness screamed and the shockwave pushed Candice away for several meters. From Ivory's eyes started dripping tears intensively, blue from magic filling them.  
"Ivory, please." Candice said silently.  
"No!" Ivory screamed again. "Just get lost!" The ice guardian made step into the circle of energy, ignoring the heat, which luckily wasn't as intensive, as at the first. She placed her paw at Ivory's shoulder, barely making it through the aura surrounding her. It wasn't only heat, but also magical pressure.  
"He's gone already." Candice said sadly. Though magical aura became less intensive, there appeared first burns at guardian's scales.  
"There must be a way." The white dragoness whispered. "There must be..."  
"Ivory, please, give up." The ice guardian begged her. "He's gone. There's nothing, you can do."  
"You're lying!"Ivory screamed. "I'll..."  
"No. Just let it go. Flush would wish you to do it." Candice whispered. The circles of magic instantly disappeared. The ice guardian sighed with a relief. Ivory fell on the ground and started crying like a hatchling. Candice hugged her and poked her back, trying to cheer her up. Ivory hadn't cried like that since ever. That was second time, she lost beloved for her dragon. Somebody,who she cared about at the most. Somebody, for whom, she would sacrifice herself without any hesitations. Tremor watched two dragonesses with his head hung sadly. That all was his fault. He should have stopped the detective from meeting Mar and Fuerzo. He was supposed to do it, not Flush. He was thinking like that when in Tremor's head appeared scaring thought.  
"Hey, if Mar and Fuerzo were meeting Flush and they also gave Diego that information about cave, this all was..."  
"Diversion." Ivory finished sentence with an anger in her voice. She couldn't believe that reason of Flush's death was so trivial. "They killed my mate just for a diversion. To avoid fight, which was written to them."  
"Sierra and Tundra are in danger!" Tremor was about to fly away, when Candice stopped him.  
"What about Flush's body?" The ice guardian asked.  
"You go, I'll stay here." Ivory declared. Candice watched her unsure, if that was good idea. She didn't want to leave her friend in such a state. "Go Candice, save your kids. I... I'll be fine." Ivory assured her. Candice nodded, there was no time for that. She and her mate flew away. As they disappeared from her sight, Ivory turned to the place, where was laying Flush. She swallowed hardly and walked slowly to her mate's body. Watching him, she felt her heart being consumed by the despair. She laid next to him and covered him with her wing. She cuddled up to his side and kissed his cheek. Then, Ivory started crying in silent despair.

Tremor and Candice flew to the Flush's house and stopped in the dining room. Everything around them was a mess, as if it had been a battlefield. On the ground, there were laying parts of table, windows were broken and several places in building were burning. In front of them, there was staying Brute. At his left paw was Sierra. Her nose was bleeding and she was unconscious. Next to him, on the ground was laying unconscious Diego. He had several serious wounds at torso and limbs, one of his wings was broken. In arms, he was holding a little white dragoness, Tundra, who was crying, but she hadn't even a scratch. The fire breather had protected her with his own body.  
"You." Tremor hissed angrily. He wanted to kill the wyvern instantly, but Candice stopped him.  
"Long time no see, Tremor." The wyvern smiled insolently. Both guardians were ready to attack. "You shouldn't have looked for us, fools. When you separate, it's easier to kill you. Atroz and Viento will finish your friends in Leafen, rest of Venganza will kill those guardians, who are still in the eastern city. It's your end." Brute foretold.  
"Did you kill him?" Candice asked. "Did you kill Flush?" Sinister laugh left Brute's jaws.  
"Yes, He didn't want to cooperate, so I killed him." The ice guardian felt that her blood was boiling. She thanked in mind Ivory that she didn't come with them. The white dragoness would surely lose control on herself and attack Brute, most likely hurting youngsters. The earth guardian interrupted silence.  
"Why do you seek for Sierra so much?" Tremor was watching the wyvern carefully, searching for any openings in his guard.  
"She doesn't deserve the fate, which you want to give her. She doesn't deserve to live with dragons whole her life. She's too beautiful and clever. I want to raise her as a wyvern. I want to show her another path."  
"You're sick!" Tremor watched Brute with disgust. "How can you even believe that she wants it?! That she'll ever forgive you?!" He fell on tempting idea of murdering that wyvern.  
"She's too young to understand that. But she'll be happy that I did it. Someday." Brute smiled with hope. He really believed so.  
"Enough of this madness." Candice hissed, interrupting their conversation. "Brute, the show is over." For everyone in that room it was obvious that he couldn't win against them both all alone.  
"You're blind, dragons." The wyvern was very self-assure. "Octava!" Tremor wanted to attack, when in front of his face, a stream of water slashed through both walls of house. Then, the black dragon jumped to the building crushing a window with paw. Tremor stood before him and blocked him. To house entered also a blue dragon, Octava, who attacked Candice.  
"Traitors." The ice guardian hissed angrily at her enemy. The blue dragon, Mar, just smiled, as he was forcing with her.  
"Do you believe that we're dragons? We are transformed wyverns. Vengantimos." Then, Tremor pushed away Decimo and attacked Brute. The earth guardian was about to reach him, but wyvern dodged him and flew to the entrance. Candice caught Brute's tail and scratched his side, putting her paw into his bag, but then Decimo hither throwing her to the wall. On the ground fell and exploded bomb, creating a dark cloud. This same, as the last time. All dragons started coughing intensively, but wyverns were resistant to that poison. Three Vengantimos stood at the door. Brute took one of his bombs.  
"Burn, fire of the oblivion." He whispered. A big fire exploded at Diego's legs. The stench of burnt meat reached all dragons. The wyverns flew away. Tremor went to his mate.  
"Did you take it?" Tremor shown her a bottle with gold liquid, which he had just stolen from Brute. Candice nodded and showed him her one. "Good, drink it with Diego, I'll give mine Tundra." The earth guardian extinguished burning leg of the unconscious fire breather and after one minute, all dragons were out. There was already gathered a crowd of dragons. Candice just jumped in the air and followed Brute. Tremor wanted to put Tundra on the ground and follow enemy also, when from nowhere, before him appeared the black dragon. He tried to slash youngster, who the earth guardian had just put on the ground. Tremor jumped away, caught his daughter's paw taking her away from enemy's range and dodged Mar's blow, who attacked as well. Tremor jumped in the air, avoiding them both. It was bad. He couldn't help Candice, he had his own battle. But he couldn't fight, when Tundra was so close, against two members of Venganza. And he had to fly away from city to avoid wounding any of citizens.

Brute landed in one of caves at the south from the city, their actual hideout. They were alone now. He and little Sierra. Brute put unconscious dragoness on the ground gently. Sexto smiled. He has never seen her sleeping, but she was so cute, even as for dragoness. Transformation into wyvern would give her even more charm. When they would kill guardians, he'd give her elixirs of transformation and oblivion. Thanks for thealchemy, he'd get back his own body. And they'd become family. Father and daughter.  
"You!" He heard angry hiss. Vengantimo turned his head to see ice guardian.  
"So you followed me." He noticed with surprise.  
"Isn't that obvious that I would? I'm not going to let you do anything to Sierra." If she could, Candice would kill him with just a sight.  
"And Icey said me that ice users should be cold like their own element." Brute said, rather to himself than to her. "That's even better. Today, whole her family will die. No one will look for her." He finished. He ice guardian hissed angrily.  
"Give her back." Candice said slowly with ordering voice. Brute just smiled.  
"Make me." The wyvern didn't have to repeat himself. The ice guardian attacked howling madly. She jumped to enemy and released volley of ice spikes. Brute dodged attack and tried to block her slash of talons, but Candice caught his arm and threw him at the wall. She wanted to take Sierra and fly away, when the wyvern caught her tail and sent her on the ground next to unconscious earth dragoness. Candice stood up, jumped back from Brute, while shooting several spreads of ice. Vengantimo avoided all three of them, when he suddenly stopped. Three of his paws were frozen to ground.  
"Damn it." Brute cursed quickly took a bomb from bag and detonated it, releasing his feet. He quickly jumped at the side avoiding another volley of ice spikes just for centimeters. The ice dragoness seemed to be quite surprised with his speed, but rather disappointed.  
"Don't be so surprised. I'm Brute, Sexto Vengantimo." He showed his six carbuncles placed at the metal gauntlet, ten centimeters from his elbow. "You can't kill me with trick like that."  
"It doesn't change fact that I'll kill you." She replied. Brute put three needles into gauntlet.  
"You will try." The wyvern shot three needles. Candice blocked them creating ice spreads, when wyvern attacked her side with his tailblade, Candice blocked it by one of paws and opened her mouth, about to pierce enemy with ice. Brute tried to slash her face by talons, but she jumped upon him and slashed his back with talons barely missing spine. Sexto groaned with pain. When Candice landed, she noticed that beneath her, there was a bomb with almost completely burnt fuse. She kicked it away in Brute's exploded right between them sending them at opposite walls of cave. Both fighters were stunned for a while. Candice slowly stood up from the ground and glanced worried at Sierra, but youngster seemed to be unharmed. Brute also stood up, still cursing in his mind. That bomb had to finish her, but Candice was too fast and both of them took strong blows on themselves. He couldn't believe that she wasn't dead already.  
"With such a trick, you'll never kill me." Candice replied, as if she could read his mind. The wyvern still was unable to fight. Candice shot his knee with ice, breaking it. When she was about to make killing blow, Brute burnt fuse of incendiary bomb and threw it to the guardian. Candice shielded herself with wall of ice. After explosion, she was surrounded by mist from melted ice.  
"Not again!" She screamed in her mind. Brute smiled devilishly. He jumped in mist ready to manage the killing blow, but he crushed at the wall of ice. Sexto, in reflex action, shielded his face with gauntlet. Just in time, because less than a second later, He felt Candice's powerful stab pointed in his arm. The wyvern collapsed, thrown away, and rolled. He stood up and saw that part of gauntlet covering his paw was in parts. He gave the ice dragoness mad sight and cursed himself for being so reckless. He wasn't able to shoot needles anymore. His left knee was broken and right paw was numbed because of pain after that strong blow. In his bag, there were almost no bombs. He couldn't afford more mistakes from that point.  
"If I would plan everything like Viento or even Atroz, this fight would be much easier." He said that to himself. They both jumped in the air. Brute threw bomb at Candice, but she protected herself with the ice. Then, the wyvern cursed with surprise, as he started falling down. His wings were frozen. Guardian shot at his head ice spike. There was no time for bombs, so Vengantimo shielded himself with wing. It hurt terribly, but he was at least alive. Brute landed hardly on the ground and melted ice at wings using small bomb. He put one of paws to bag for next bomb, when his eyes grew wide.  
"Fuck!" He shouted with scared face and Candice quickly understood, what happened. He was out of bombs. That was her chance. She dove to enemy, when Brute smiled devilishly. In front of dragoness's face appeared small black bomb. When it exploded, she crushed on the ground and groaned painfully. Sexto appeared next to her and slashed her with talons. At her side, from hips to shoulders, appeared three long and deep wounds. The ice guardian tried to attack enemy, but she collapsed and couldn't move any her limb. She was paralyzed. Brute turned around and watched her.  
"You've chosen bad enemy, Candice. You see, that bomb was poisoned. And now, you'll die." The wyvern stood in front of her and raised his paw, ready to make a final blow. Then, he heard silent, scared squeak. He turned around to see Sierra lying on the ground and watching her mother fearfully. Brute sighed deeply.  
"No, I can't kill you now. Sierra shouldn't watch such a bloodshed." He reluctantly stepped away from the ice dragoness and gently caught Sierra, paralyzed from fear.  
"Do you know, what is the funniest thing? That, if I would fight Tremor and you would take care about my companions, you and your mate would win. And now, Tremor will die." Brute smiled with satisfaction. "Still, I underestimated you, dragons. Especially Flush. That son of a... He realized that even if he tried to warn you at the very last moment it would change nothing. Ambush was planned too perfectly, too many wyverns meant to attack all at once. He knew that his death would change nothing and he had to agree. And he surprised us... He simply killed thirty wyverns. Just like that." Brute waved his paw, still not believing than any dragon was able to do that. "He almost killed Decimo and me. He was fighting with a fury I've seen never before. As if unknown power gave him strength to fight, as if he didn't care about himself at all, but only wanted to slaughter as many wyverns as he could. He wasn't fighting for his life, but for his beloved Ivory. He saved you." The wyvern turned around and was about to leave. "Farewell Candice. Next time we meet, I'll kill you." Brute took gently Sierra and flew away with her. While watching her little daughter, Candice felt overwhelming despair. She was helpless. She couldn't do anything more than watching. She failed her own daughter. But she didn't lose hope. She knew that Tremor, despite Brute's words, would win his fight. And then, she and her mate would get Sierra back. And kill Brute.


	26. Two against one

Chapter 26. "Two against one"

Tremor was flying above some forest quickly, holding in his paw Tundra and watching her carefully. She still was in shock after happenings in Flush's house.  
"Tundra, listen to me." The white dragoness turned her head at her father.  
"What is it, daddy?" She asked silently, frightened.  
"I lost enemies for a while, so when we'll land, I'll make small shelter of earth, where you will wait, until I come for you. Right?" Tundra nodded.  
"Dad, I'm scared." She said after several seconds.  
"Don't be ashamed, fear is natural now." He assured her.  
"Have you ever been scared, daddy?" She asked. Tremor smiled and nodded.  
"Really scared? Several times, long time ago." The earth guardian and his daughter landed. Tremor created small shelter, where hid Tundra. That was when two Vengantimos landed in front of Tremor. Those were blue and black so-called dragons.  
"You are coward, dragon." Mar was watching him with contempt.  
"I wasn't scared of you, but afraid that somebody would get hurt, if we fought in the middle of city." Tremor explained. Then wyverns noticed that somebody was missing.  
"Where's your daughter?" Mar asked.  
"She isn't your enemy. There's no need for you to know." Tremor replied firmly.  
"So we'll kill you and find her." Vengantimo decided. Tremor yawned deeply showing his enemies, how bored he was with their talking.  
"Good luck, blue mutant freak." The earth guardian riposted. That pissed off wyvern.  
"I'll kill you!" Mar was about to attack Tremor, when his friend stopped him.  
"Before we'll finish pathetic life of that scum, we should introduce ourselves, partner." The blue dragon rolled his eyes, but he agreed. The black dragon smiled and continued talking. "My name is Fuerzo, Decimo Vengantimo." That was when Tremor noticed gems at his paws. At every his finger was one hematite, so he was tenth.  
"I'm Mar, Octava Vengantimo." At each his arm, there were four azure aquamarines. He was eighth. Tremor sighed with relief. No one of them was stronger than Brute.  
"And my name is Tre..."  
"Shut up. I don't care about name of scum, who I'll kill in several seconds. Even If I'm just Decimo, we are the worst enemies, you could choose." Fuerzo interrupted him.  
"Prove it." Tremor challenged them. His strategy was simple. Keep them both on the ground, where he had natural jumped to him, ready to attack. He and Tremor blocked each other's paws and used breath attacks. Tremor's earth bullet was countered by stream of water from jaws of Vengantimo. Then guardian noticed that Fuerzo threw to them quite big rock. Mar just smiled and jumped above his partner's attack. The blue wyvern shot two streams of water at him. Tremor easily dodged it jumping back and stopped stone by wall of the earth. Fuerzo crushed through the wall with one fist and tried to attack Tremor, but he got blinded by a dust. The dragon attacked enemy with his clubbed tail. Decimo, as he noticed blow, just smiled.  
"Fool." The wyvern stopped blow with just two fingers, caught his tail and broke it, with sudden swing of arm. "I'm Fuerzo, force, strength, is my ability." Decimo lifted enemy above himself holding his tail and smashed him at the ground. Tremor felt, that whole air left his lungs and his ribs were broken as easily as dry, thin twigs. Before enemy was ready to repeat that blow, two stone pillars went through wyvern's feet, making him drop dragon's tail. The earth guardian shot an earth bullet in unprotected chest of enemy, throwing him at the ground several meters farther. Tremor shielded himself from streams of water with wall of earth and brought his breath to norm in several seconds. He understood he shouldn't underestimate them.

Tundra was scared. Really scared. Her dad was fighting wyverns again. Last time he fought with only one, he was poisoned and he spent in bed a week fighting for his life. And now, there were two enemies at this same time. She knew well that she would only make her father's fight harder for him, if she would do anything stupid, but she really wanted to help. She knew that she was helping him the best she could by just standing, where she was. That was all, she could do and she hated that fact from the bottom of her heart.

"Die, dragon!" Mar dove to Tremor and shot from his mouth several streams of water. While dodging them, the earth guardian jumped in the air. Fuerzo attacked his side. The black wyvern was about to hit Tremor's head, when dragon grasped his arm and threw him to Octava, in moment when the blue wyvern shot stream of water at his enemy. In effect, Fuerzo's wing got pierced by water and wyverns fell at each other.  
"What was that, Mar?!" Decimo was seriously pissed off because of friendly fire.  
"Sorry." Mar replied, mad at Tremor. "Let's finish this quickly."  
"Stand back, partner. I'll finish that scum on my own." Decimo clenched his fists. He decided, annoyed with such a trick from guardian.  
"Don't forget that as Decimo, you are the weakest Vengantimo. Noveno was killed in fight against guardians." Mar noticed. That surprised Tremor. If Fuerzo was the weakest, in Venganza there were only ten members counting Crue. So why Diego said that there were eleven kinds of gems?  
"Don't worry about me, Octava. I'll kill him with my bare paws." Decimo's eyes were filled with hatred. "Let's finish this!" The wyvern quickly flew to Tremor and tried to hit him. The earth dragon shielded himself by arm, but felt terrible pain at chest, as second fist reached its target. Tremor caught enemy's wing and threw him to the ground while hitting his back and breaking some bone by clubbed tail. Decimo landed hardly between trees. Tremor started wondering, what he was planning, when one of small trees flew in his direction. The earth guardian rolled at side dodging wooden missile.  
"Is he really that strong?" He said to himself, while dodging the second one. Decimo had thrown already another three, when Tremor understood that something was wrong. "Where is Mar?" He turned around to see the blue wyvern staying ten meters from Tundra's hideout and charging his element. "Tundra! He found her!" He screamed in his mind. Right next to him flew another small tree, but Tremor didn't care about that. He ignored Fuerzo and started flying to his daughter.  
"Tundra!" He shouted. "Leave cave and run!" The ice dragoness heard her father. She quickly left her small shelter and started running deeper in forest. The blue wyvern smiled. Octava had to aim again, but he was sure that Tremor couldn't make this in time.  
"Foolishness, Tremor. She's dead." Right when Mar shot stream of water, which was about to pierce whole body of little dragoness killing her instantly, in front of him appeared large wall of earth, which stopped water. "What the..."The blue wyvern turned his head to see green paw reaching his face. Powerful blow threw unconscious now enemy for several meters and left him three long wounds across face. Not killing him was caused by only bad luck. Tremor jumped in the air and found his daughter.  
"Tundra, get on my back!" He said, as he landed before her. The ice dragoness did as her father told her to do.  
"Are you alright, dad?" She asked.  
"Yeah." He smiled. "I'm fine." Then earth dragon started coughing hardly. From his jaws fell several drops of blood. That couldn't mean anything good. He definitely had underestimated Fuerzo's strength. But it wasn't time for that. The earth guardian jumped in the air and dodged another tree flying in their direction. Fuerzo flew above enemy and dove to Tremor, attacking his back, where Tundra was. The dragon rolled at the side avoiding him. Now, Decimo was beneath his enemy. Tremor caught his daughter, who had dropped him while his roll, and put her back at his back. He shot an earth bullet in enemy's back hurting him seriously. The wyvern cursed loudly. The earth dragon dove to enemy and Fuerzo started flying higher. They crushed in halfway, but Tremor won this encounter. He held enemy and they started falling down from height of about fifty meters. Decimo started cursing. He tried to attack with paws, but Tremor blocked them. He tried to slow down by wings, but the guardian simply broke both of them. Several meters above ground, Tremor jumped away with his daughter. Decimo crushed at the ground with loud noise of breaking bones. When stun after crash was gone, he felt that he lost sensation in his hinder legs and tail. He was half-paralyzed.  
"You damn scum! You copied Atroz's movement!" Fuerzo shouted. Tremor put his daughter on the ground.  
"Tundra, stand back, close your eyes. I don't want you to see, what is about to happen." The ice dragoness nodded obediently. "And you, Fuerzo..." The black wyvern tried to attack with front paws. Tremor quickly broke them both with earth bullets, so Decimo was defenseless.  
"I'll kill you!" Decimo shouted madly.  
"You lost." The earth guardian stood above him and glared at him with cold hatred. Fuerzo knew that sight. Icey was showing it, when he was talking about dragons. "At first you didn't want to hear my name. But I guess you want to know it now. I am Tremor, the dragon guardian of earth."  
Meanwhile, Mar slowly opened his eyes. He saw whole situation. Octava knew that if he wasn't going to do anything, his partner would die. He stood up. But before he could react, it was too late. Tremor slashed enemy's throat and covered his body with earth to avoid his daughter seeing that corpse. Blood covered dragon's face. Tremor slowly turned his head to watch Octava with hatred glowing from his eyes.  
"Now it's your turn." He whispered coldly."You and Brute. And then, those, who killed Flush, will all be dead." Though Tremor wanted their death, he didn't let hatred overwhelm him. He just played avenger to scare Mar.  
"So now begins real battle. Battle for vengeance." Mar smiled devilishly.  
"Those are your words." Tremor whispered, so only his daughter could hear him. "Tundra, get on my back." He ordered.  
"Do you know why I'm eighth?" The blue wyvern asked. The earth guardian watched him surprised.  
"Because you're weaker than seventh?" He asked with insulting voice, as if it was obvious.  
"No. Three Vengantimos with ranks fourth, third and second have their ultimate attacks. Technique, thanks for which they can easily finish every duel. And only reason that I'm eighth not fourth or fifth, is that I never shown anyone my ultimate technique." Mar attacked. He shot from his paws two streams of water. The earth guardian made wall of earth and lay down at the ground. Both streams went through earth without any problem, one of them right above Tremor and Tundra's heads. The earth guardian understood, why he chose the worst enemy he could. Water was big advantage against earth. Ice was stronger than it, but earth was weaker. Water was typical piercing element. That meant, Candice would easily beat that enemy, but his element was useless. Both fighters jumped in the air and started flying higher.  
"Mar! Don't forget that until ground is beneath us, I'm the one with the advantage!" Tremor tried to play cocky, but he knew that it's going to be hard fight. Very hard.  
"It's not ground anymore, fool." The blue wyvern took deep breath. "It's sea! Mar!" From his paws started falling great amounts of water. After several seconds, he turned place under himself into small pond, which radius was about twenty five meters. "Let's finish this, scum." He straightened paw and shot a stream of water. Tremor didn't even try to shield, he just dodged it. "Understand that I'm not kind of enemy that you can deal with. That I'll kill you and your little daughter without any problem!" Mar shouted. The earth guardian hissed angrily, as he flew to enemy. He shot several earth bullets in hope that he would be able to get close enough to the enemy to attack him with talons. But the blue wyvern saw through enemy's strategy. At the surface of lake, there started appearing thin pillars of water. Tremor suddenly turned, avoiding most of them, but still, he barely survived of his legs was pierced and at torso, he had several scratches and one deep wound at his side. His situation was getting worse every second. Once, he tried to fly to Vengantimo, he had to immediately pull back and change direction to don't get killed. He understood that Mar could easily keep him at long distance, where guardian was defenseless and he couldn't run away from above water, even by flying higher, because of those water pillars. He was trapped.  
"Let's finish this now! Onda!" Mar screamed, enjoying his triumph. At the water's surface, there appeared giant wave of water, which was getting closer to him every second.  
"Oh, this is bad." Tremor whispered. He had an idea, but it was risky. He surrounded himself and his daughter with shield of stone and started flying to the wave. "Gaia, I need you." He whispered. Green aura started glowing around him, in this same moment, he surrounded himself with stone. The earth guardian went through wall of water. His shield of earth turned into million pieces and the blue wyvern noticed two earth dragons.  
"Long time no see, sister." The earth guardian smiled. His sister replied with grin.  
"Is she your daughter?" Gaia pointed Tundra.  
"Yeah. Carefully, his water is stronger than our earth." Tremor warned her.  
"Any ideas then?"  
"No worries, I have a plan." He assured her. Gaia smiled.  
"That's the spirit."Before Gaia finished her sentence, she attacked. She shot dumbstruck wyvern in his chest with an earth, not killing him only because of bad luck and Mar's quick reaction. The wyvern released water from his jaws, but Gaia easily dodged the stream and flew above him, ready for another attack. Mar dove to don't get his head pierced. Meanwhile, Tremor flew behind Octava.  
"Onda." Whispered the blue dragon. A wave of water from pond pushed surprised earth guardian, whose daughter dropped him. Luckily, Tundra started flying, before she fell into the water. Mar aimed at little dragoness and smiled. But before he shot to kill her, he felt somebody slashing his back.  
"Don't aim at my niece, bastard!" Gaia shouted angrily, attacking his back. Using water, Octava pulled her away and aimed at Tremor. The earth guardian just smirked.  
"I'll avoid that blow, and crush with him and hold him. Then Gaia'll attack his back finishing him." He said in his mind. Gaia smiled, as she understood Tremor's plan. He was playing the decoy, not Gaia, as Vengantimo would expect. But Mar read through their strategy too. To everyone's surprise he aimed not at Tremor, but Tundra. If he had to die, he'd love to take her with himself. Four streams of water left his paws. The white dragoness squeaked and closed her eyes, expecting heard nasty noise of torn flesh and broken bones, but all she felt was a little scratch at her side.  
"What the…" She whispered. Dragoness slowly opened her eyes to see her father and the wall of earth, which he had created before himself. All hits pierced through the rock and stopped at his body. He had completely smashed whole left shoulder and left lung pierced in several places. The earth dragon coughed with blood.  
"Tremor!" Gaia screamed paralyzed by fear and shock. "Tremor!" She watched him helplessly. Blood was slowly seeping from his wounds and covering his chest.  
"S…sorry, Gaia." At guardian's lips, there danced gentle, apologizing smile. With the rest of strength, he surrounded him and his daughter by stone. Then, they fell into water. He knew that above surface Tundra would get killed and he had plan how to save her. Above them, Gaia watched her brother with scared eyes.  
"Won't you help your little brother and niece?" Mar asked maliciously. Gaia hissed at him angrily and disappeared, giving her brother whole her power in hope that she would be enough to save him.

"Daddy?" Tundra asked her father, who she was laying at in stone sphere slowly sinking. Tears were swimming down her cheeks.  
"Tundra, listen to me..." Tremor whispered.  
"Yes, daddy?" Tundra watched her father with worries. He gave her smile which meant that everything would be fine.  
"You still can survive. I'm dying, but you're not even scratched." He started.  
"Don't say like dad!" She refused. "You'll make it!"  
"Listen to me. That wyvern is going to finish us by some final blow. You have to use your ice."  
"But how?" Youngster wasn't ready for something like that. She was scared and worried, her eyes were wet from tears.  
"Freeze whole sphere I created. Ice is stronger than water, it will stop it." Tundra nodded and concentrated. She took deep breath and released from her lips frosty mist, but it managed to freeze only small part of the sphere. After several tries, she understood that she couldn't do it.  
"I...I can't dad. I'm too weak." She said sadly.  
"Don't give up. I saw you using ice easily."  
"But that was another situation..." Tremor stroked her head fondly.  
"I understand that you're stressed, but you have to believe in yourself. You can do it. I know it."  
"But..." She tried to refuse, when Tremor interrupted her.  
"Try once more." He said. The ice dragoness nodded. She concentrated, like her mother told her to do to release ice. Tundra felt cold power filling her body, freezing her veins and muscles. After her father's words, it came surprisingly easily. When she was ready, she did it. After several seconds, whole stone was covered by ice.  
"I did it, dad!" She smiled to her father. Tremor nodded with appreciation and closed his eyes. His breath lowered. "Dad?" The dragoness asked silently. He didn't answer. "Dad!" Only thing that replied her was dead silence.

Mar was watching water surface with relief. "I won." He whispered with note of disbelief. He shouldn't have underestimated guardian. That almost cost him life and made him use his ultimate technique. The truth was that he had never shown it to anyone, because this ability had limit- it was so devastating to his body, he could use its full power only once in whole his life. And now, because of Tremor, he lost chance to get fifth rank. That guardian was going to pay for that. Mar touched the surface of small lake with paws. For one second pressure of water rapidly increased, crushing everything in it. Not counting ice, but it didn't matter. He couldn't survive that, there was no way. As Mar finished, he flew away, before any dragon would notice him. He had to heal wounds as quickly, as he could. After he left, water from small lake sank into the ground, showing small sphere of frozen earth. Several seconds later it broke releasing two dragons.

Candice was flying quickly above the forest. She had to find Tremor, she had feeling that something bad happened to him. Just like last time, when he was fighting that ice-using wolf and barely survived. After fifteen minutes of flight, she found the battlefield. Everything was wet and in pieces, in center of it,there were laying Tremor and Tundra. She landed quickly in front of them and her daughter hugged her. The ice guardian glared at Tremor. Whole his torso was covered in blood, so she couldn't count all wounds. Scales of his face were unnaturallypale, he had lost a lot of blood. But, at least, he was still alive.  
"T...Tremor?" She asked. The earth guardian opened his eyes and smiled slightly. He noticed that both dragonesses had wet eyes.  
"Oh, you've come, Candy." He said, as if nothing had happened. "Oh, please,don't cry, I hate, when you do it." He pleased them.  
"You're such a mess, Tremor! Why you always do something stupid like that?! Now we have to take you to city before..." Candice tried to lift her mate, but she was too weak already. The earth guardian saw that her side was still bleeding intensively.  
"Not this time, Candy." He whispered.  
"Last time we saved you! We always did! We'll do it again!" She refused, shaking her head. Several tears fell on the ground. Tremor slowly shook his head.  
"Not this time."He repeated himself. "Last time, you weren't tired and wounded. Last time we were close to friends. Last time it was just wolf using ice, not two mutant wyverns." He noticed. Candice let waterfall of tears finally fall down. She knew that her mate was right. Tundra watched whole situation unable to say a word.  
"But I need you! We all need you! Without you, I can't get Sierra back!" She argued, as if it was his choice to live or die. "You can't die. You can't!"  
"You have friends in city. Ask Diego,Dusty, Sylvia, Ivory… " He made a pause to take a breath."They'll surely help you." Tremor coughed hardly. Several drops of blood fell on Candice, but she ignored it.  
"Don't say so, sweety. We will..." Candice couldn't finish her sentence.  
"Yeah, daddy, Mrs. Ivory will come and heal you." Tundra assured her father. The earth guardian watched deeply her eyes. "You said to don't give up." The young dragoness watched him with begging sight. Tremor smiled. She was so stubborn. Just like him.  
"Candy..." Tremor coughed hardly with blood.  
"What?" Neither of ice dragonesses could stop their tears.  
"Tell Sierra that I love her." He pleased.  
"You'll tell it her." Candice refused.  
"Do you really believe so?" He asked. Candice closed her eyes trying to stop tears and nodded slightly.  
"Sorry, sweetheart, but not this time..." The earth guardian coughed again. "Farewell, Candy, Tundra." He closed his eyes and smiled for last time. In sorrow, Candice closed her eyes, begging in her mind that it would appear to be just a bad dream, she'd wake up and see Flush and Tremor smiling silly and joking, she wanted to see Ivory smiling, not crying. But it wasn't nightmare. She had lost them. Again, she was watching her mate dying. And this time, she wasn't able to do anything, even to carry him.  
"Farewell...Tremor..." Candice whispered with pain that no words could explain. She felt emptiness in her heart, as if some part of it was torn off and burnt to ash. She tried to move, but then, she collapsed and lost conscious. She didn't know, if was it loss of blood, fatigue or pain of broken heart. She didn't care at all.


	27. Fate of blades

Chapter 27. "Fate of blades"

The day before Tremor and Candice's battle in Teria, when there was already dark in the eastern city, whole city was sleeping. Well, almost whole city. At the roof of some house was sitting a wyvern. Sable. He was watching carefully Stella, who was coming back to her house with Infernus. Then, he took out one of his swords and started glaring at its edge. She wouldn't do anywhere else, but straight to her house, so watching her would be just formality.  
"Is that your fate?" He asked his blade. "To shed blood of dragons?" Then he laughed silently and shook his head with disbelief. "Wonderful. Now I'm conversing with swords." He watched them for several seconds and then sighed with relief. "Phew... At least, they don't reply." He smiled to himself pitifully. "On the other hand, when I've got them, I was so happy that I wouldn't be very surprised, if they started talking..."

Four years earlier

Sable was sitting at the cliff and watching slowly swimming stream. It was his favorite place to be alone, since he was saved by Primero one year earlier. Not counting Vixen, there were already eleven members of Venganza, but most of them, like him, hadn't rank yet. Their mutation was already completed. Sable was glad that he remained bipedal. Thanks for that, he still could use swords. Next to Sable were stuck in the ground two blades, the ones that he stole from wolves. They were in horrible state. Edges were jagged and point of one of them was blunt, but he couldn't get any different swords.  
"It's not good..." He said, while hiding blades to leather scabbards, he had made lastly. He wore them at back crosswise, when narrowed someone landing several meters behind him.  
"You mean your swords?" Icey guessed. He sat next to him.  
"Yeah. I wish I could get new ones." Sable said with pity.  
"Have you ever had other swords?" The ice wyvern asked.  
"I've lost them, when I was banished from my house, six years ago." The lightning wyvern sighed sadly. "One of them was stolen, another broken. Cursed Cobro..."  
"Is there no way to retrieve them?" Icey asked. Sable shook his head. "Maybe you should ask Primero for new ones?" He suggested.  
"I'll have to do it someday." Sable agreed.  
"So, what were you wondering about?" Icey asked curiously. Sable hesitated with answer for several seconds.  
"Past. What've I lost, what've I achieved..."  
"What do you mean?" The ice user asked. Sable didn't speak much about his past to anyone else than Vixen.  
"My family. My parents were murdered and while I was running away, I lost my five years old sister in the forest. Sonrisa...She had no chance to survive there." In Sable's eye appeared tear, as he thought, how he failed his own sister, when she needed him at most. He was blaming himself for their death. Icey felt that he should cheer his friend up.  
"Don't forget that you have us. Me, your best friend, Vixen, who behaves, as if she was your younger sister..." Then, some idea appeared in his head. "By the way, haven't you ever thought about this? Only you have your old name. What, if Vixen is your sister, but she doesn't know or didn't tell you about that? I know it's not really possible, but still. When you've lost your sister six years ago, she was five, as you said. Now, she would be eleven, like Vixen is. Primero found Vixen alone in the forest near your home when she was five. Everything fits." Icey smiled, proud of his deduction.  
"Since first day I met her, I was thinking about this. But unfortunately, you're wrong this time." Sable smiled sadly seeing Icey's surprise.  
"Why?" The ice wyvern wasn't going to give up. He was always right.  
"I asked her about her family. She said that she was orphan and she hadn't any brother. She would have no reason to lie." Sable said with not hidden sorrow.  
"I see." Between them fell silence. After several minutes, Icey interrupted it. "Primero told me to call you." He mentioned casually.  
"What? Couldn't you tell me earlier?" Sable jerked his head surprised.  
"Sorry, completely forgot about that." Icey lied. He just wanted to talk with him. Not thinking much, the lightning wyvern jumped in the air and started flying quickly. Icey watched his friend disappearing in forest. "What a difference, how much time will Primero wait?" He asked himself and stood up. He straightened his wings and started flying back to Venganza's camp too.

"Good evening, Sable. I expected you." Primero watched the wyvern, who had just come in.  
"I apologize, because I'm late, master, but Icey just told me that..." Sable tried to apologize.  
"No problem. Let's take a walk." Primero suggested. Sable nodded and he and his teacher left the camp. He noticed, that from shadows appeared and joined them Vixen. She was eleven, but she looked like she was much younger. Under one of her wings, she was hiding something, but Sable couldn't recognize, what was that.  
"Hi Vixen." Sable said, as noticed her.  
"Hi Sable. How was your today training?" She asked. They both had had so intensive training lastly, they hadn't any opportunity to even converse.  
"Not bad. And yours?" Sable asked.  
"I'm getting better dragoness every day." That was one of her eccentricities. Though like Vengantimos she was born as wyverness, she loved calling herself dragoness. The most of Vengantimos didn't like it, but accepted it. The most of them.  
"By the way, Sable, please stop calling me master." Primero said after a moment of silence.  
"I apologize, ma... Primero, but I used to call my teachers 'masters'. It's hard to forget about that." Sable blushed with embarrassment, because of misspelling.  
"That's better. I feel strange, when somebody my age calls me master." Primero explained.  
"So what did you want to talk about, Primero?" Sable asked curiously.  
"Do you know why you still don't have any rank?" His boss didn't mince his words.  
"You mean that I can't use breath attacks, but release lightning only with paws?" The lightning user guessed.  
"Yes, I've been worried about that skill, since it's really weak. I wasn't sure, if you were able to control it like Icey." At this point Primero was right. Icey was real master of his element and Sable wasn't even in half as talented as him.  
"So?" Sable waited for end of sentence.  
"Well, I decided, to give you your rank finally." Sable felt, that his heart rate instantly spiked. For him, that was one of most important moments in his entire life. "Vixen?" Primero called her. The black dragoness nodded and took from beneath her wing two swords in scabbards. Sable took them from youngster with shaking paws. He noticed that at each of them were only two chryzoberyls.  
"Am I..." He couldn't say a word. Primero smiled with amusement, watching his reaction.  
"Yes. From now, you are Cuarto Vengantimo."  
"Come on, Sable, take your katanas and show us, what you can. I'm not going to stay here for whole night!" Vixen smiled to her friend. Sable laughed silently, but Primero glanced at her disappointed. Cuarto wore scabbards at his back and took from them both swords. They were beautiful. Unique. Hilts were fitting perfectly to his paws. To his relief, they had no wrapping, which he hated, actually. Each one of them had three long stripes of wood placed perpendicular to blade. Between two light stripes of pine, there was one stripe of dark ebony. Chryzoberyls were placed at external sides of each of swords. And then, Sable watched blade. One meter of clear, silver steal. Perfectly straight edge, there wasn't even a scratch on it. That were best swords, he has ever seen. Just by watching them, he could say that there was no sword, which could break them. And then, when he thought he discovered whole it's potential, he felt, that power in him grows. Gems started shining with intensive yellow light, as blades got covered in the lightning. At first, he was so scared, that he almost dropped them. But then, Sable swung his sword and they sent two waves of lightning, which cut through several trees to disappear in the darkness of night. He watched his blades with disbelief.  
"Impressive, Sable." Vixen smiled. She was really proud of her friend.  
"It's just the beginning, Vixen." Cuarto grinned. He could feel real power of lightning. Finally. He jumped in the air, beating wings quickly to eventually stand at tip of straight spruce. Then he started running down it and sending waves of lightning, which were cutting off tree beneath his feet. Every his step was pushing away big block of wood. At the end, he jumped away and landed in front of Primero. New Cuarto slowly hid his katanas to scabbards at his back.  
"Indeed, impressive, Cuarto. I knew that your new swords will release your real potential." Primero admitted, smiling warmly.  
"So my training will change from now?" Sable asked. The black dragoness nodded.  
"Yeah, you'll be my first student. I'll teach you..." Vixen started speaking, when Sable interrupted her.  
"Wait, wait, you'll be my teacher?" Sable looked at her in disbelief. Vixen was strong, but still she was almost twice younger than him.  
"Yeah!" Vixen giggled like little girl as she saw his reaction. "Surprised?" Cuarto nodded slowly. "Don't worry, dad explained me, how I have to learn you." She said watching Primero.  
"So when do we start?" Sable asked.  
"You start tomorrow." Primero said, glad that Sable finally shown his real strength. From that point, he had only four years to train. To learn ability, which he was going to call ultimate technique.

At day of guardians' fight against Venganza in Teria, Viola woke up very early. She simply couldn't sleep. The ice dragoness was woken up by a cold wind right after sunrise. She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked around to notice that someone had left balcony door widely opened. Viola rolled her eyes. "Cirri, that little..." She muttered and sighed deeply with annoyance. She hated waking up early, because she had to wait long time for anybody else to wake up. Viola heard loud snore from the room next to her. That was Angers, Froza's mate, he was always snoring and only person, who could ignore this fact, was Froza. That was second reason, why Viola hated waking up early. The ice dragoness was about to close her eyes and try to sleep again, when she noticed that something changed at her desk. There was laying some sheet of paper. The letter. Viola quickly stood up and started reading it. After reading it through three times, she sat at her bed and started wondering about it. She didn't expect such news. With every minute, amount of her worries was growing. After fifteen minutes, she had enough of it. Viola quietly left her house and started walking across still sleeping city. Though she had whole day, for unknown reason, she was in hurry. After fifteen minutes of walk, she was staying in front of Stella and Infernus's house. She knocked and waited. After a minute, door was opened by Stella. She was obviously surprised by so early visit.  
"Hi Viola. You're quiet early today." Stella yawned, still sleepy.  
"Sorry for that, but I have something important to tell Infernus." She explained herself.  
"Come in, then." Stella suggested, quite surprised with Viola's words.  
"No, no." The ice dragoness refused quickly. "I have to go back to house before anyone wakes up. Is Infernus awake?"  
"Well, no, but you can tell it me and later, I'll tell him." The lightning dragoness suggested.  
"Can't I talk with Infernus face to face? I shouldn't talk about this with anyone else." Viola wasn't giving up. Stella didn't know what to think about that. She had no idea, what could be so important, but just shrugged.  
"Alright, I'll wake him up, but he's not going to be happy about this." She said. Viola smiled with understanding to her.  
"Thanks." The lightning dragoness went back to her house and woke up her mate. She was right, the fire breather wasn't in good mood, at first he didn't want to wake up at all. But after five minutes, he was standing in front of his guest. He covered his mouth, as he yawned deeply.  
"Good morning. Something happened?" He looked like he was still sleeping.  
"Well, at first, I wanted to apologize for waking you up so early, but I was worried, if I would catch up with you later." She still felt a bit awkward, because of waking them both up so early.  
"Never mind, I would wake up soon anyway." He assured her.  
"I guess Stella would wake you up?" Infernus laughed, but nodded.  
"Yeah, sometimes she can't accept fact that I want to sleep longer than her. Anyway, what's on your mind?"  
"Can you do something for me?" Viola asked.  
"Wait a second." Infernus asked her. "Stella, don't eavesdrop!" He shouted to his mate. They heard disappointed groan and steps of walking away dragoness. Viola couldn't help smiling.  
"So, will you fill my request?" She asked with amusement.  
"Well, it depends on, what it is." He replied guardedly.  
"Today Stella will look for dragons, who know about wyvern's language, right?" Infernus nodded. "Follow her then. No, spy on her. I have feelings that something bad is about to happen to her." She said. The fire breather watched her surprised.  
"Feelings? I'm also worried about Stella, but still, she's the guardian, right? She can care about herself."  
"Only one day. I'm sure that something bad is about to happen." Viola tried to persuade him.  
"Fine, if she's endangered, I should look after her." Seeing that Viola was serious, Infernus started worrying about his mate. He had no idea what was it, but he felt that Viola had a reason to say so. More serious than just a feeling.  
"Thanks, I knew that you'd agree with me. Well, I'll be going now."  
"Wait, Viola, won't you come in for a moment?" Infernus suggested.  
"Sorry, but I have no time. See you tomorrow!" She said last words already in the air. Infernus followed Viola with his sight. Sometimes, she was behaving in very mysterious way, as if she knew something, but couldn't tell anyone a word about that. Infernus didn't even ask, how did she know, what was going to happen, but he promised himself, he would do it later.  
"I'll never understand dragonesses." He whispered, while going back to the bed. Stella laughed.  
"She surprised you, huh?" Her mate nodded. Infernus was already thinking only about sleeping. "What did she want?" Stella asked curiously.  
"I'll tell you later." Infernus kissed her gently in excuse. To his relief, she didn't oppose.

This same day, at the evening, Stella was walking alone across the city, already coming back to her house. The lightning dragoness was annoyed. She lost whole day looking for information about wyvern's language to start understanding at least their numbers or ranks. The worst thing was that she hadn't found anything.  
"I'm sure that Infernus already sleeps. Like the rest of the city." She muttered. Only not sleeping dragons yet were sentries. She yawned deeply and smiled, as she thought how Flame had told her that there was no chance to find any information by just asking dragons at streets. Then, she had ignored him telling that she wasn't going to do it literally, but now she knew that he was right. Next day, she and Infernus would look for information in the library. Stella turned in wide for several meters street and started walking close to one of walls. Something was wrong. She felt that she was being watched. She was sure about that. She could feel the presence. Then, somebody threw katana, which stuck in the wall right in front of her face. Several centimeters closer and she'd be dead already. Stella's heart rate spiked immediately, she could hear it beating madly, very clearly. Heart beat. She turned her head. Several meters from her, there was running a bipedal wyvern. His right paw was glowing with the lightning. Heart bite. Stella tried to make step back, but she felt that another sword was stuck right behind her blocking her. She understood that enemy had planned this all. Because of wall and swords, she couldn't straighten wings to fly or make step in any side, but just to her enemy. Heart bite. Right when Sable was about to decapitate her, she jumped in the air bouncing from hilts of katanas and shot her breath attack beneath herself. Heart bite. The wyvern perfectly read through her movement, as if he knew, what was going to be her next move. He raised paw to release his element countering her lightning with his own. Heart bite. Stella bounced from the wall and landed on the ground several meters from him. Heart bite. Then two stones moved beneath her paws, making her lose balance and collapse. Heart bite. The wyvern was already running to the dragoness. Stella knew that she couldn't have worse timing for such a mistake. Heart bite. She noticed, that her enemy wasn't devilishly grinning, as if she expected him to. At his face was written something like... sorrow? The heart bite. She shot a lightning, but enemy easily dodged it. The heart bite. Stella shielded her head and throat with arms, hoping, it would be enough. The heart bite. Wyvern's paw, glowing with the lightning, slipped between her paws touching them gently and started getting closer to her throat. The heart bite. Stella closed her eyes. She understood that it was her end.


	28. Courtesy

Chapter 28. "Courtesy"

Stella closed her eyes expecting the final blow. She was sure that she was dead, but still didn't open her eyes. She not really hurried with doing that. Then she heard a male voice, which she knew so well.  
"You know..." Infernus was holding Sable's paw only several centimeters from guardian's throat, so wyvern wasn't able to do anything. "It's very unfair to attack alone and defenseless dragoness by ambush." Fire breather said angrily. Stella opened her eyes and watched her mate with both relief and disbelief. She had no idea, why did he follow her, but that saved her life. The fire breather shot a fireball at Sable, but Cuarto jumped back and landed several meters farther. Then, he did most unexpected thing he could. He smiled warmly. The wyvern seemed to be content, because of being stopped. Both dragons watched him with surprise.  
"I'm glad that death wasn't written to you yet, Stella. Love is the most powerful power in universe, after all. It gives us strength to stop death, doesn't it?" Sable didn't make defensive pose, sure that neither of dragons would attack him by surprise.  
"Us? You're talking as if you experienced love." Infernus asked, surprised.  
"And you're talking as if wyverns had no feelings."The wyvern replied. That confused Infernus a bit. "Oh, dear, I hate racism. Anyway, shall we start a serious fight?" Sable suggested. He meant to take blade from scabbard when he realized that both of those were still stuck in wall. Infernus grinned seeing that and was about to attack, but Stella stopped him, putting her paw on his shoulder.  
"Let me handle him and you call guards." She suggested, but the fire breather didn't like that idea at all.  
"You almost died. I'm not going to risk your life pointlessly." He refused.  
"I'll be fine. Call guards." She pleased him. Infernus nodded reluctantly, still unsure about that.  
"Alright, but please, be careful. He's not a weakling." He warned. The lightning dragoness bobbed her head once.  
"No worries." Stella assured him. The fire breather kissed his mate and flew away. Sable followed Infernus with his sight for several seconds.  
"Are you sure, you can kill me?" Cuarto asked the guardian.  
"With Flame, I already finished one of your comrades without getting even scratched." She said confidently. "Besides, I won't kill you. I need you to answer some questions."  
"Comrade? You mean Crue?" Sable sounded as if he would laugh aloud any second."He was nothing compared to me." Sable replied. Stella smiled. She had just realized that she was standing between Sable and his swords and that was great advantage for her.  
"Nothing? Are you really that strong? What was his rank?" She started asking, while stepping back to wyvern's swords.  
"I am Cuarto, my rank is fourth. Crue was Noveno, ninth." Cuarto grinned watching Stella's surprise. She expected that Crue was weak, but ninth? This meant that at least eight Vengantimos were still alive. Not counting Vixen, of course. "Are you still so confident?" Sable asked. Stella remained self-assure, so she nodded without doubts.  
"I heard from Spyro and Candice that you're honorable." She stated. "Usually." Stella added after a second. "I can assure you that I'm not going to get killed in the case, you fight fair." Stella stated. Meanwhile, Sable was looking for opportunity to get his swords back, but there was no use. He nodded slowly.  
"Yes, I will fight in honorable way." He promised. "You know, I'm also peaceful type, so how about we just forget about that, turn around and walk away? Each of us in his..."Sable hesitated. "...or her own direction. What do you think about that?" He suggested. Stella watched him, as if he was insane. That was even too meaningful for Sable.  
"Are you kidding me? At this situation you simply can't avoid the confrontation." The lightning dragoness flew to swords and took them out from wall. She took them both above her head and smiled ominously.  
"What...What are you doing? I thought that you're going to play fair?" Sable asked surprised.  
"I repay for try of assassination." Then, Stella threw both swords far away along long street. They both stuck in the ground at its end, inside of some old building. Sable snorted silently and rolled his eyes.  
"Yeah, I deserved it." He admitted. The wyvern ran into the alley showing his back to Stella. The dragoness waited for several seconds to give him small head start. Then she jumped in the air and followed him. They both were flying quickly between buildings. Then, Sable heard disturbing noise. He turned his head to see Stella charging a lightning.  
"Don't even try." Sable warned her. The dragoness just smiled, releasing stream of electricity. The wyvern turned around, countered it with his own lightning and continued flight. In mind he thanked Vixen for her aerial training."You have to try more to get me!" The wyvern shouted, as he flew into the building, caught his swords and turned around. He saw Stella, who landed on the ground before him and closed metal door. Cuarto watched whole room carefully. Stella was staying between him and his only escape. She perfectly knew that she had great advantage at that situation.  
"You lost, Sable. Dragons will be here any moment and you're not going to break through wall, because it would be too noisy. Only thing I have to do is to don't let you go through that door." Stella smiled, sure that she won.  
"I have to admit, you're clever, and you've planned it pretty well. And before we start fight, which, to my great pity, we can't avoid, I wanted to say that..." The wyvern, to Stella's surprise, blushed with embarrassment. "I'm Sorry for that ambush. I.. I didn't mean to bother you. I thought that you would dodge that blow so it would just scare you and..." Stella was completely dumbstruck by that. But she stood silent for only several seconds.  
"Do you mean that you didn't intend to kill me?! What are you talking about?! If not Infernus, I'd be dead by now!" She shouted, in lack of better idea, how to react.  
"I thought you would dodge that. I apologize for such savage way of starting a duel." He replied with apologizing voice. Stella, for some unknown reason, felt that she liked that wyvern, even though they were deadly enemies. He was exactly like Candice said. In conversation, it was easy to start feeling sympathy to him. That was strange for her, but still, she felt that she shouldn't have shouted at him.  
"Sorry for that. I shouldn't have shouted at you." Then she shook her head. "Dear ancestors, what am I doing? We're supposed to be enemies and I'm apologizing you. Damn it, why are you so..." The lightning dragoness was finding no words to finish her sentence. "...charming."  
"Yes, that's my curse. I too easily make friends. Before we start duel, I have some information for you. Primero doesn't know about that, but, as I heard, you really seek for that one."  
"What is it?" She asked curiously.  
"Before I tell it, let me introduce myself. My name is Sable, Cuarto Vengantimo." The wyvern stuck his swords in the ground, put one of arms at his chest, straightened another one parallel to the ground and bowed making specific gesture. Then he immediately grasped both katanas again.  
"Stella, dragon guardian of lightning." She bowed slightly, as she introduced herself.  
"So, especially for you, numbers of our ranks. Listen carefully and remember, I'll tell it you only once. First- Primero, second- Segunda, third- Tercera, fourth- Cuarto, fifth- Quinto, sixth- Sexto, seventh- Septimo, eighth- Octava, ninth- Noveno, tenth- Decimo." Sable said slowly.  
"Thanks, that's...useful." Stella thanked, trying to remember all those names. "By the way, I thought that wyverns use this same language, as dragons." That was thing, she tried to figure out all this time since Spyro, Cynder, Tremor and Candice left the eastern city.  
"You see, there are two kinds of wyverns: northern and southern. At this point I want to warn you. The wyverns you find dull are from south, they're feral wyverns who used to be allied with Malefor. Only three of Vengantimos are from there, two of them still alive. Still, their intelligence was increased with Douten's alchemy. I am the northern wyvern, the civilized one, wise as dragons, but my intelligence was increased a little as well, just in case. What I imply is that you can't hope for our recklessness. Despite your guesses, we're not dull. But I digress. The southern wyverns use your language. But tribes of northern wyverns, like the one, where I was born, use their own language. The most important members, especially nobility of tribe learn also language of dragons to contact with wyverns from south and dragons." He explained.  
"The most important? So, what was your position?" She asked with childish curiosity. Sable smiled.  
"Every time, I explain it, someone asks me about that." He sighed deeply.  
"So?" Stella watched him curiously. "Will you tell me?"  
"I'm banished member of royal family of Celeste Tribu." He explained. The lightning dragoness watched him surprised.  
"So I'm fighting a royal blood?" She asked.  
"Looks like." Wyvern confirmed.  
"Heir to the throne?" Stella guessed, but Sable just laughed silently in answer.  
"It's long story. Well, you're staying between me and door. Could you..." The wyvern made a step, but then he felt cold tailblade at his throat. He quickly jumped back. "Oh, dear, I really wanted to avoid this fight, but you don't give me a choice." He said with regrets.  
"My fault. Again." Stella apologized with voice of person, who didn't regret that at all. Cuarto sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. He grasped his katanas, ready for fight.  
"I'll try not to kill you." He promised. Stella gave him annoyed sight.  
"Don't expect this same from me." The lightning dragoness jumped to enemy and attacked him with both paws. Sable blocked them without any problem. They started attacking each other in close distance, not using elements. After several shielded attacks, Stella caught her enemy without any guard. Her paw deftly slipped between his swords. She could kill him, but she stopped her talons, when they touched his throat. She was trying to convince herself that she did it to get the information from him, but she knew that there was something more.  
"You lost. Don't do anything reckless or I'll kill you." She menaced. The wyvern just smiled.  
"This same here." He replied. The dragoness felt that cold point of his sword touched her chest. They both jumped back increasing distance between them. "This is what I expected from the dragon guardian." Sable said with admiration.  
"You would be dead, if I didn't want to get information from you." The guardian said, but Cuarto laughed in reply.  
"Dead? No. I knew that you would stop, so I let you do it to find an opening at your guard."  
"You stopped also. I thought that you intend to kill me." That was, what Stella didn't understand at all.  
"With honor. I'm not going to win playing on your feelings. But from now, let's get serious. I don't have much time." They both jumped back. Stella shot lightning to her enemy. Sable swung one of katanas. Wave of lightning, which appeared from it, countered her attack. Stella watched him dumbstruck.  
"I know, it's specific, I release lightning not from jaws, like you, but from katanas. This gives me kind of advantage in fight." He explained.  
"Your name fits you perfectly then, Sable. It means saber, right? You surely got that name after transformation?" Stella guessed. Cuarto shook his head slowly.  
"You're clever, as I already said, but this name was given to me by my father. I'm using swords, for many years already." Cuarto ran to Stella. He shot several waves of electricity. Stella barely managed to dodge or block all of them. She understood why that katanas were giving wyvern an advantage. He could use lightning twice faster than her. Sable jumped right in front of her. The lightning dragoness was ready to block, when he jumped above her and tried to slash her back. Stella protected herself with her tailblade and while he was above her tail, she kicked wyvern's underbelly strongly sending him at the wall. Cuarto groaned with pain, as he crushed at the metal door. But at least, it was his chance to run away. Guardian understood it also, so she turned around to him.  
"Don't even try, Sable!" She warned him. When the wyvern tried to open door, dragoness shot init small lightning. Bolt jumped from it at Sable's paw and the wyvern took it back involuntarily. He noticed that Stella was about to slash his back with talons, so he bounced from door above her and landed in behind her. Stella quickly turned around, so they were at this same situation, like at the beginning of fight. Sable cursed in his mind. Time was passing much too fast for him.

Viola was walking slowly across the city. She didn't know, why she did it, but she had feeling that she should be there. She wasn't hurrying, she had many of chaotic thoughts to tidy up in her head. She sat under one of trees in park and started watching starry sky. For several minutes she was thinking about going at her favorite place. It was small hill close to the city, which she called "under the apple tree". But she gave up on idea of going there. It was already too late for that. Viola sighed deeply. Then, she heard characteristic, but very silent noise of electricity. She jerked her head curiously. Could that be him? No, there was no chance for that. Viola sighed sadly once more, as she heard no other noise. She hated loneliness. She hated fact that her younger sister already had mate. She was jealous, but she couldn't do anything to change that state. The ice dragoness knew that she could only wait, but she felt, as if time was slowing down every day. For her, this all was going much too slow.

"Is that all, what you can..." Sable interrupted his sentence, as Stella disappeared from his sight and he felt terrible pain at his back. He tried to shield himself, but then the dragoness was already before him, hitting his chest, making whole air rush his lungs. The wyvern jumped to the door again. Stella rolled her eyes.  
"Useless!" The guardian wrapped her tail around his leg and threw him strongly at opposite wall. He released his leg and jumped away. That blow hurt. He was breathing quickly and trying to make any plan.  
"So this is your levedad paso, the lightning step. Impressive, I didn't know that you can increase your speed so badly. But still, your attacks were too gentle. Do it stronger." He suggested, with such voice, as if he was her mentor.  
"I need to get the information from you." She explained. Sable smiled slightly.  
"You should try to be more brutal, if you want to at least get me." He was trying to persuade her.  
"If you wish so." Stella attacked his side, but this time, her blow was blocked. The dragoness slashed again and this time, Sable jumped away.  
"As I said, your attacks are weak and..." He blocked both Stella's paws with swords. "... and predictable." The wyvern smiled with triumph. "She's too slow..." He whispered to himself. The lightning guardian tried to hit him, but there was no use. He was blocking all her blows much too fast. "I know, what will be her next move." He said to himself silently. Then the dragoness surprised him. Before he could even react, she appeared behind him and shot powerful lightning in his back. Energy of blow sent him at the wall. Stella had to admit that after that, she was worried, if she hadn't killed him. Sable just smiled and slowly stood up. "Oh, dear." He said to himself, while groaning with pain. "Seems like she's at least at this same level as me. Just the assassination was hard and this duel... She's not bad. I better start attacking. But I have to finish this right now." The wyvern put one of his katanas to scabbard. "So I'll have to use my ultimate technique? I wanted to show it at another occasion, but seems like there's no another way..." He jumped aback, avoiding another lightning for centimeters. Then, he smirked confidently. "No, I shouldn't use this yet." He decided.  
"I have one question for you." Sable said, as increased distance between him and Stella.  
"What is it?" The lightning dragoness watched him curiously.  
"Were you really the one that killed Crue?" He had seen that fight, but still, he wanted to hear her answer.  
"Yes, I and Flame, the fire guardian, but I wasn't the one to finish him."Stella didn't try to find an excuse, but just stated the fact. "Are you mad about this?" Stella asked. Cuarto smiled warmly and shook his head.  
"Oppositely, you made great favor for me. I don't have to kill him on my own."That surprised dragoness, but she changed subject.  
"Are you going to fight with only one sword?" She asked curiously.  
"I'll try not to hurt you." He explained, half-joking. Stella laughed silently.  
"I already told you, I can't promise you this same." The dragoness slashed with talons, but Sable stopped a blow with quick swing of blade. Stella charged the lightning and tried to hit him with it, but he jumped away dodging it. The wyvern easily blocked her next attack of tailblade. Then he jumped above her to land before her. He swung his blade from beneath. Stella managed to block it, though doing this with just talons wasn't easy. Then, Sable raised sword strongly sending her into the air so she had to lower her guard. Just for a second. But just enough. Sable dropped blade and enclosed to her, hitting two points at her torso. It was only gentle poke, even if he wanted, he wouldn't manage to wound her, but that was just enough. The lightning dragoness fell on the ground. Stella tried to move, but she was able to only lift her head. Stella watched with shocked eyes her enemy.  
"What did you do to me?" Sable slowly went to the dragoness and crouched in front of her.  
"Anatomy of dragon, written by Lian, volume second, chapter sixteenth. Nervous system. All dragons and dragon-like beings, for example wyverns or drakes, have two special points. One of them is between sixth and seventh right rib and another four centimeters at left from a heart. By pushing them at this same time, you can paralyze target for ten to fifteen minutes. This ability is very useful at painful surgery or when you don't intend to kill enemy." Cuarto recited with monotonous voice, while hiding his sword to scabbard.  
"So you're actually a medic." Stella noticed. The wyvern nodded, agreeing.  
"Yeah, I can not only kill, but also heal. This is my way to keep balance. Now, farewell Stella, the dragon guardian of lightning." Cuarto bowed characteristically and he was about to leave, when the dragoness called him. She hoped that by playing like that, she would stop him, until Infernus would be back.  
"Will you leave just like that? What was your point? Do you want to kill me, or just give the information? I can't understand what would you achieving just fighting me." She asked. Sable sighed deeply and took out one of his katanas. It looked like he had no choice.  
"Isn't that obvious? I have to kill you. And you ask for death so stubbornly that..." The wyvern touched her throat by the edge of blade. "That I'll spend here several seconds more." He decided. Stella cursed herself for doing something so stupid. That was indeed asking for death. And it seemed like he was going to fill that request. Then, Sable gave her warm, calming smile and hid his sword. "No, I'm not going to kill you. Firstly, when you used levedad paso for the first time, you could easily kill me or injure and knock me out. And secondly... I even like you. Your curiosity, positive energy... You bring to mind my sister somehow." Cuarto sighed deeply, while shaking his head with disbelief. "Ironic, isn't it? Vengantimo and dragon like each other..." He laughed silently, amused. "But I'm at least not in love with you. That would be insanity."  
"True." Stella admitted. "Thank you." She said with relief.  
"I'm just paying back for favor of not killing me, when you had your opportunity. See you soon, Stella. It was honor for me to fight against you and I hope we'll have another chance to continue that duel." He was about to leave, when he turned around to her once more. "Sorry for such dirt move, but you know, I don't have much time." The wyvern bowed characteristically and flew away into the darkness of night.

"Stella?" The lightning dragoness turned her head to see Infernus getting into small building with several guards. He noticed her and ran to her, anxious about her. "Are you alright?"  
"I think so." Stella assured him. "But I won't be able to move for while." The fire breather watched her surprised.  
"What happened?"  
"Sable happened." She tried to stand up, but there was no use. "He paralyzed me for ten or fifteen minutes, as he said." Infernus sighed with relief, since he was scared, if Sable didn't do anything serious to her. Then, one of guards spoke up.  
"Master Stella, should we follow that wyvern?" She just shook her head.  
"It's pointless, he's already gone. And even if you catch up with him, you will be no match to him in such darkness. You better go back to your positions." Guards agreed and flew away without a word of farewell. They were hurrying so much that Stella guessed their captain was very strict for them.  
"I'll carry you." Infernus suggested. The guardian didn't refuse, so fire breather took her at his back and they started flying. "So, when will you be able to move?" He asked.  
"Any moment now." She replied, while trying to move fingers of her front paw.  
"You're lucky that he didn't kill you." Infernus said, as if he wanted to add "I told you".  
"You know, this fight was odd." Stella said. Her mate jerked his head surprised. "As if we weren't fighting seriously, but just sparring."  
"What do you mean?" The fire breather asked, dumbstruck.  
"It's just like Spyro and Candice said. Though we're enemies, I think, I like him and I guess he feels this same way. That's the only reason, we both are still alive. Neither of us wanted to kill each other, but just to achieve some goal."  
"That's odd." Infernus admitted. "Was he strong?" Stella shrugged.  
"Actually, no idea. Neither of us was fighting with full strength, so I can't tell who would win the life and death duel. But I'm sure, he would be demanding opponent."  
"And still, he's just fourth." Infernus noticed.  
"Yes, I'm wondering, how strong is their boss." Stella smiled. She was already able to move her wings. "By the way, why were you spying on me?" She asked.  
"I wasn't spying." The fire breather refused quickly.  
"No?" The dragoness jerked her head curiously. She really wanted to hear his explanation.  
"Of course not. I've been watching after you. Like old times, but I couldn't find any flowers that would be beautiful enough for you." Both dragons laughed.  
"Thanks for protecting me." She nuzzled her mate.  
"You should thank Viola. She asked me to look after you. I have no idea, how did she figure out that something endangers you, but she actually saved you." Infernus sighed deeply. "I'll never understand dragonesses." Stella just laughed aloud in reply.

When Sable's fight began, another wyvern was hiding in trees, several kilometers from city. About ten meters from him, were two fire breathers. Flameus and Ember, his targets, were watching stars and had no idea, what was about to happen. That was going to be easy assassination. He started sneaking closer to them, when he stood at dry branch, which cracked loudly. Vengantimo stopped rapidly, his heart rate sped up, but only a little. The fire guardian turned his head, but luckily, in darkness he couldn't notice enemy. His and his mate's heads went closer, as the fire guardian whispered something silently and two dragons started conversing, but assassin couldn't understand a word. Then Ember giggled and started saying loudly.  
"You'll always find pretext to kiss me."  
"I don't need pretext." Flame replied. The pink dragoness giggled again and they started kissing passionately. The wyvern smiled to himself. He couldn't believe that they were that reckless. That was opportunity, he was waiting for. He jumped from between trees to dragons, about to slit their throats.


	29. Heart of ice

Chapter 29. "Heart of ice"

Ember and Flame were sitting at some field, hugging and watching stars. Her head was laying at his chest, heart-shaped medallion was touching him gently, causing waves of chill, and Flame's red wing was covering her body protecting her from wind. Then, the pink dragoness pointed sky above her.  
"Look there, the falling star!" She noticed. Flame laughed.  
"I still hold a grudge against the last falling star we met." He said half-jokingly. Ember smiled slightly.  
"This one won't reach ground, don't worry." She assured him. Flame wanted to say something, but then, he heard breaking branch behind him. He turned his head but he saw nothing. It was too dark to notice anything. He was about to ignore that noise, when he smelled something. Something that shouldn't be there.  
"There's a wyvern behind us. I could barely smell him." He whispered quietly. Ember nodded.  
"Yes, I've just noticed him too." The pink dragoness said silently to her mate and Flame smiled with excitement. "So what's the plan?" Ember asked.  
"Charge a fire without letting him notice that we're preparing something." Flame said.  
"How?" The dragoness jerked her head curiously.  
"Kiss me." The fire guardian suggested. Ember giggled.  
"You always can find pretext to kiss me."  
"I don't need pretext." Flame refused. Ember giggled again and they started kissing passionately. Streams of fire were dancing in their mouths, as they were charging their element. Then, from the trees behind them, jumped to them a wyvern. Both dragons turned their heads to release fire from their jaws, which burnt both enemy's wings completely. The wyvern fell on the ground before Ember's feet. From both sides appeared two other wyverns. Dragons jumped back, Ember blinded all three assassins with intensively shining fireballs and Flame sent at them wide stream of fire. Only thing left from them was a lot of steam.  
"No way. Ice imitation? I thought it's Candice's ability." Flame watched cloud of steam, dumbstruck.  
"Me too. It seems like our enemy is the ice user." Ember guessed. From trees appeared another wyvern, who attacked Ember's back. She easily blocked enemy's talons with her tailblade. Flame tried to slash wyvern, but enemy jumped back and stood about ten meters from them. Both fire breathers watched him carefully. Wyvern's face was showing no feelings. There was one distinctive thing about his face. Blue eyes, which seemed to have a sight colder than ice. Also his scales were unusual. Though he was just a bit higher than them, endings of his scales were almost transparent, as if he was very old, though by the height you could say he was no older than thirty.  
"Not bad, dragon scum." It was obvious that the assassin hated dragons. "Your fighting style is perfect, as hard too block or counter as fire is. Overfilled with emotion. You possess even more ardor, than flames have. Indeed, you both deserve title of dragon guardians of fire." Even if he was praising them, contempt in his voice was too overwhelming to ignore it. "Not bad, Ember, Flameus." He hissed last letter.  
"You know our names." The fire guardian noticed ring at enemy's little finger. There were at least two clearly white pearls, but couldn't state if there were any more of them. "Will you tell us your?"  
"Icey, the most powerful element user from all Primero's subordinates." Icey introduced himself reluctantly. Ember cursed in her mind. It wasn't good.  
"So you're second Vengantimo?" She asked.  
"Called Segunda. Isn't that obvious?" He replied scornfully. All three of them jumped in the air. Flame shot stream of fire. Icey blocked it with ice and, ignoring the fire guardian, attacked Ember. She blocked Icey's hit at throat, but then she felt that wyvern managed to catch her medallion. Ember slashed his paw painfully. When Icey tried to rip off her necklace, she bit his paw, her teeth stuck deeply in it. Wyvern's eyes grew wide, as he felt heat of fire concentrating on it. He pulled his hand out from her jaws and jumped back, with blocking two streams of fire with icy wall. He landed on the ground and wiped blood out from his face. At his cheeks, there were three deep wounds, this same at his paw, which almost got turned into ash. End of his tail was burnt a little. Ember watched Icey with anger.  
"Don't touch my medallion!" She shouted.  
"Next time, I'll slit your throat and take it from your cold corpse." Icey replied. Those words provoked Flame, just as planned.  
"Enough already!" Red markings covered Flame's body. Ember attacked enemy with her tailblade, but blow was blocked by an ice imitation, which had appeared next to Icey a second earlier and started fighting the pink dragoness. Vengantimo stood between Flame and his mate, so neither of dragons could see each other.  
"That red markings. Are you sure, you want to use it? You almost killed your friend, when you used it for the first time. This time, somebody much more times important for you may suffer." Icey noticed, as if he cared about any of them at the slightest. The fire breather rolled his eyes.  
"I control it already." He replied, confidently.  
"Is that so?" Vengantimo asked with disbelief. Flame shot the stream of red energy to Icey, who dodged attack. Then, dragon's eyes grew wide. He saw that the pink dragoness was being held by Icey's clone, his claws were several centimeters from her throat, but she was holding his paw, so enemy couldn't slit her throat. But still, his blow was going to reach her.  
"Ember!" He shouted, warning her. The pink dragoness was forcing with enemy, unable to move.  
"I'll be fine!" She replied. Ember hit the ice imitation in chest with elbow and threw him before herself. Then, the fireball reached him, turning him into cloud of steam and several pieces of ice. Ember jumped in the air, only several small burns were covering her arm. She attacked wyvern's back. Icey blocked her talons with tailblade and pushed her away with its strong swing. Then, he suddenly dove beneath her and shot volley of ice spikes in her belly. Ember rolled at side, barely managing to avoid it. Icey landed on the ground. Meanwhile, Ember flew to her mate and stood at his side. Both fire breathers watched Icey carefully, expecting another attack.  
"Can't you just die?" Icey asked pink dragoness. Ember smiled.  
"Don't underestimate us, wyvern."  
"Alright, this time I'll kill you, bitch." Vengantimo said, coldly, like always.  
"Don't you dare calling her like that!" Flame shouted and ran to Vengantimo. Icey smiled. It was so easy to provoke the fire guardian. He kept falling on that. Both Icey and Flame attacked each other with talons. Ember jumped above them and was about to release stream of fire at Vengantimo, when an ice imitation, which had just appeared in the air, tried to slash her face. She leaned back, avoiding blow for centimeters, another imitation made her dive and eventually land on the ground ten meters from two males. Meanwhile, Icey hit Flame's face with his head and caught his throat, squeezing it hardly. He pushed him to the ground and started choking the fire guardian. Flame caught wyvern's arm and started forcing with enemy. The pink dragoness saw that her mate was in trouble. She finished the ice imitations quickly and started running to Flame to help him. Vengantimo made an icy mirror on the ground to see her. He smiled devilishly to the fire guardian.  
"Flameus, farewell your mate." The wyvern said coldly. Something in his voice told Flame that Ember was in deadly danger. He pushed away enemy's paw and took deep breath.  
"Ember! Don't..." Then Icey squeezed Flame's throat again and pushed him back to the ground. The pink dragoness understood what her mate tried to say. She bounced from ground to jump in the air.  
"Too late." Icey put his second paw on the ground. "Helarse." He whispered. Tens of icy pillars appeared from the ground around dragoness. They quickly grown to height of several meters and Flame heard painful squeak. When pillars stopped, he noticed blood covering them. Flame knew that Ember couldn't dodge them all. Icey glanced at the ice, which he created. He sighed deeply. "I had to make so exhausting movement just to silent that bitch." He whispered with disbelief. "I'm getting old."  
The fire guardian felt that his heart was sinking lower and lower every second.  
"Why?" Flame whispered silently to himself, while uselessly trying to release himself. He couldn't believe that this happened. He couldn't accept fact that dragoness, who he had fallen in love with from the first sight was dead. That he didn't even know reason of this all. The fire dragon was still forcing with Vengantimo, who could easily kill him now, if he wanted to do so. Expression at ice user's face didn't change at all. He didn't even smile, once he finished her.  
"Oh, do you want to know, why I hate you, dragon scum? Fine." Icey glanced at the dragon with contempt. "I'll let you understand." Flame stubbornly tried to find way to release himself, but there was no use. "Creencia. She died this same way like your mate. I could only watch how wolves were piercing her body with swords. Unable to do anything." His voice was cold like always. Because he was Icey, Vengantimo, the perfect user of ice, deprived of feelings. "And then, I understood that this is yours, dragon kind's fault." There was no sign of sadness in wyvern's voice, just cold hatred. "If not you, there wouldn't be any war. My entire life wouldn't have to be filled with sadness and sorrow. That is why I found Primero and joined him. Because I perfectly knew that Venganza was going to bring dragons pain, the suffering, comparable to mine." Flame was holding enemy's paw, and tried to don't get strangled to death. Icey pierced fire breather's left shoulder with talons. "Don't try to say or do anything, scum. Don't you dare apologizing me or begging me for forgiveness." Flame wouldn't even try to do it. He just wanted to kill that wyvern. The red dragon watched blood slowly trickling down from his arm. "Do you know how I became so cold?" Icey asked. The guardian didn't reply. He didn't care. "Do you want to know, how I stopped missing those who died because of scum like you? Do you want me to show you the way?" Fire guardian's eyes were glazing with fire of hatred. He couldn't do anything, but if he had a chance, he would kill wyvern instantly. "Seems like not. But since you're about to share this same fate as your pink bitch, I'll tell you. You have to abandon your feelings, start finding them useless. I'll do favor for you. I'll get rid of yours. I'll give you heart of the ice." The wyvern put his second paw at dragon's left side of chest. "But for you, I'll do it literally." Flame's eyes grew wide, as he understood, what was about to happen. Dragon felt wave of cold concentrating at enemy's paw. "Enjoy my ultimate skill." Icey smiled triumphantly. "Hela..." Then Vengantimo felt terrible pain, as arm, which by he was holding the fire breather was broken. He jumped back and tried to dodge other attacks, but he wasn't fast enough. His cheek was scratched and underbelly slashed deeply. Vengantimo landed several meters from two dragons.  
"Sorry that it took me so long." Flame heard female voice. He tried to stand up, but his savior stopped him. "Stay on the ground, you're wounded. From now, I'll take care about that wyvern." The fire guardian watched her with shock. And relief.  
"Ember...how?" He asked, dumbstruck. The pink dragoness smiled warmly to her mate. Whole her body was covered in tens of scratches and wounds. Some of them were really serious, but nothing deadly.  
"No way." The ice user was watching carefully dragoness, unsure, if wasn't she just illusion or imagination. "You can't be alive. No one could survive that blow." He didn't understand this at all.  
"I already told you, don't underestimate any of us." Ember replied and made offensive pose. Icey cursed silently. He created two ice imitations and three wyverns started flying to dragons. Ember's first blow was blocked, but next one slit imitation's throat. She was ready to attack another one, but both enemies flew above her and shot ice spikes to laying on the ground fire guardian. Flame countered them with fire and jumped in the air, ignoring his mate's opposing. Imitation shielded his owner and tried to block hit of talons, Flame pierced through his torso easily. Icey shot ice spikes to him and started flying away into the forest, disappearing from their view. Flame wanted to follow him, but he was stopped by Ember.  
"Let me..." He tried to release himself.  
"Fight's over. You have pierced artery at the arm so I have to heal you or you'll bleed to death in several minutes." Ember argued. The fire breather sighed deeply and agreed reluctantly. They landed on the ground. Then Flame hugged his mate.  
"I was so scared that you died back then." He said. Ember kissed him. She was right, Flame started feeling dizzy because of loss of blood already.  
"If not you, I would for sure. When you shouted, I released stream of fire under my feet. It melted those spikes." Ember explained. "Well, most of them." She added, as she groaned with pain. Flame smiled with pity.  
"Are you alright? You have quite lot of wounds." He was worried about her.  
"Yeah I'm fine, those are just flesh wounds, nothing serious. Now lay on the ground, please, it will be easier to heal you." The fire guardian did as he was told to do and Ember started treatment.

Viola was watching moons, when she heard beating of wings. She stood up and glared in darkness, but didn't notice anyone.  
"Hello? Who's there?" There was no answer, so she followed mysterious sound. "Hey! Show yourself!"She shouted. Wings started beating again in one of streets. Viola saw green dragon flying quickly in front of her. He seemed to be tired or wounded or both of that. She jumped in the air and caught up with him, but then understood, how wrong her decision was. The stranger turned around to her and tried to slit her throat, but Viola shielded herself and dashed quickly at the side, avoiding several ice spikes. They landed on the ground. The ice dragoness watched carefully stranger. She had already met somebody like him.  
"You are dragon and wyvern hybrid. Vengantimo, right?" She guessed. Icey had to admit, she surprised him.  
"How do you know that?"  
"I heard something about you, but nothing important." Viola was terrible liar.  
"So you know a lot about us, don't you?" Vengantimo guessed.  
"Yea...No, of course not." She refused. "What ordinary dragon may know about you?" She laughed nervously, knowing, she's in a big trouble. Ice user glared at her with annoyance.  
"Why all dragons are so pathetic? You can't even lie. And since you admitted that you know too much about us, you have to die." Viola heard something at her left and jumped back barely dodging talons of another wyvern, who appeared from shadows behind her. She attacked him with talons, but enemy caught both her paws. Then, behind her appeared third wyvern. Viola blocked one of his paws with tailblade, but another one was going to reach her. She kicked enemy's jaws with hinder leg strongly, pushing him away. Then, wyvern who was holding her, threw her to Icey. She was directed with her belly at the enemy and this all happened too fast. She was so surprised that she didn't even try to shield herself, but just closed eyes.  
"Farewell this cruel world, dragon scum." Icey whispered. Viola prepared herself for a wave of pain, but it never came. She felt something different. Somebody was holding her. The dragoness opened her eyes slowly. It was Sable. He was holding her with one paw and with second one blocked Icey's blow. She turned around to see two other wyverns laying dead on the ground. From their throats was dripping water. Both imitations had already started melting.  
"Enough Icey. She's not your target." Sable ordered firmly. Point of his sword was several centimeters from Icey's face, much too meaningful to be ignored.  
"She knows something about us. We have to kill her or take her to our camp and find out how and what..." Icey tried to refuse.  
"No." Sable interrupted. "I failed assassination and, as I guess, Flameus and Ember are still alive too. Those four dragons surely know about us much more the dragoness who had enough of bad luck to meet us. There's no point in killing her. Especially, when you don't even know, if she isn't anyone important in the city." Sable argued. His sight was so determinate and serious that Icey gave up on persuading him. He smiled slightly, as he understood that there was something between those two. And he knew what.  
"Fine. But make sure, she won't tell anyone a word." Icey watched his friend carefully.  
"She won't. Go now." Sable ordered him, even if he had lower rank.  
"See you soon, Sable." Icey, not waiting for farewell, straightened his wings and flew away.

Viola watched Cuarto with relief. The wyvern, who once had saved her life did it again. She was so thankful for him that she couldn't find words to say it. Sable put her on the ground and dragoness jumped to him and hugged him. Sable smiled and poked her back friendly.  
"I thought that I would never see you again." Viola said joyfully. She felt her eyes became wet.  
"Me too, Viola. Sorry, but I have to go now." Cuarto said sadly. The dragoness watched him surprised.  
"What? No! Can't you just stay for even a moment?" She refused. Sable interrupted their hug and stepped back.  
"Sorry. My duties are calling me." He explained tersely. Viola straightened her paw to him trying to stop him. Sable grasped it, before she would come to close.  
"I can't go with you, can I?" The dragoness guessed sadly.  
"You can't. Our paths are meeting, but never connecting for longer." Cuarto said with regret.  
"So you are going to leave? To disappear in shadows once more, maybe forever? Can you at least promise that we'll meet again?" Viola asked.  
"Not now. We will meet once more, but not today." He promised.  
"But why do you have to do it?" The dragoness had so many questions. "Why do you have to keep leaving? Why can't you stay here for a little longer? You know that I l..."  
"Because I'm just scum, not worth of being in any dragon city. I don't deserve to even watch so good-hearted dragoness, as you. Not speaking of meeting with you. I'm sorry, but that's my fate." Sable interrupted her so she couldn't say the last words. He hung his head, watching the ground shamefully.  
"Don't speak like that. You've not once proved that you're completely different. And fate... There's no such a thing! If you believe strong enough, you can change it!" Viola refused. Sable laughed silently.  
"And you proved that you don't know me at all. Still, I appreciate your faith." He replied. He raised her paw and kissed it. "Farewell, my lady." The wyvern bowed deeply, turned around and was about to leave.  
"Wait!" Viola called him. Cuarto turned around and Viola hugged him. From her eye dripped single tear. "Just don't let them kill you." She begged him.  
"Whatever you wish, my lady." Sable interrupted their hug. He bowed once more. Next, he jumped into the air and disappeared from her view. Viola watched shadows of night carefully in hope that she'd see Cuarto at least once more. She remained there like that for several minutes, wiping out tears. Then, next to her stood Douten.  
"Something happened?" He asked with worries. Viola didn't even turn her head, but just shook it slowly. "Come on. Don't stay here like that." He suggested. Two dragons turned around and Douten accompanied the ice dragoness to her house.

Cuarto was flying slowly above the city. In his eye appeared tear, which fell down and crushed on the ground tens meters beneath his feet. Sable knew that he could do anything for Viola, just like for his deceased sister. He felt that he shouldn't have left her. But he wasn't ready to tell her truth. He already let too many precious for him wyverns down, left them, when they needed him at most. He broke too may hearts already. He couldn't break Viola's heart too. Even, if he had to do it someday, he preferred to keep his sign of the past unrevealed as long, as he could.


	30. Meeting again

Chapter 30."Meeting again"

From Tremor's fight against Mar and Fuerzo passed a week. One of two wyverns hiding near Leafen was sitting on the ground and focusing, that was his training. He was turned with back to another Vengantimo who had just entered cave and tried to sneak to his partner without making any noise.  
"I noticed you when you entered cave, Atroz." The sitting one said, trying not to lose concentration. The fire breather rolled his eyes, hearing that. "You'll never sneak to me this way."  
"How are you doing this, Viento? You couldn't hear me." Atroz asked.  
"Don't forget that this is my talent. I can feel your presence." The wyvern called Viento turned his head at Atroz. As most of Vengantimos, he didn't finish mutation, he was a hybrid of wyvern and dragon. At his left arm, there was metal gauntlet, this same like Brute and Atroz's. Viento's right eye was completely red from blood filling it. He had lost sight in one eye in time of mutation. "So what is the news, Atroz?" Viento asked.  
"We're going to withdraw back to Primero." Atroz said. Viento rolled his eyes. He was too self-assure and supercilious to run away from enemy.  
"Why? I know that it's your choice since you have higher rank, but I trained for fight against those two for months. I would easily kill Cynder and then help you finishing Spyro."  
"Abandon your arrogance, Septimo. Those two defeated Malefor and many of his allies, such as Gaul. Neither of them is weak."  
"That dragoness isn't able to kill me." Viento refused confidently. Atroz just smiled with pity. For unknown for him reason, Viento really sought for fight against Cynder.  
"Yeah, since I know the nature of your power, I know that you can't die, but still, I'm worried about myself, Septimo. I make not good enemy for the purple dragon." He explained. Viento sighed deeply with annoyance.  
"If you weren't so weak..." He started.  
"Don't you dare speaking to me like that, Viento! I have much higher rank than you!" Atroz interrupted him, knowing, what was coming.  
"And you're so scared of that fight that you desperately want to avoid it." Viento noticed. Atroz felt his blood boiling.  
"We're talking here about Spyro, right?! I would easily kill Cynder too. Don't forget that I almost finished Candice so Cynder wouldn't be big challenge!" Atroz refused, shouting.  
"Firstly, Cynder uses wind and you're the fire breather, which means, you don't stand chance against her at long and medium distance fight. Secondly, Cynder, like Candice, isn't weak. You won against the ice guardian just because of a lot of good luck and that movement copied from Icey. If Candice would fly from that mist in another direction, you would lose. And besides, you exactly know what is the only reason I'm seventh." Viento explained.  
"Tch." Atroz snorted. "I hate it about you, Viento. Even if you know that I'm higher-ranked than you, you don't show me any respect and treat me like an inferior. This lack of respect to everyone, which is reason of your so low rank will cause your death someday as well." Atroz said angrily. Viento laughed loudly.  
"Death? Have you forgotten?" Septimo said proudly. "I can't die. Not in the battle."

"Angelo, what do you want to show us?" Spyro, Sparx and Cynder were following the lightning dragon, who promised them that he would show them something important. All three knew that soon they'll have to come back to eastern city, in Leafen they spent almost five weeks already and to end of ultimatum they had only three.  
"Don't worry Cyn, we're almost there." Angelo assured her. The black dragoness rolled her eyes with annoyance.  
"I already told you, to don't call me like that." She said. Angelo turned his head away from her and blushed with embarrassment.  
"Sorry, Cyn...der, but it fits you perfectly." He tried to explain himself. Then Angelo stopped. "Alright we're here. This is Glimmer's house."  
"Glimmer's?" Spyro watched vice-captain with surprise. "You found him?"  
"Yeah, when you were working with detectives, I searched for the information another ways." The lightning dragon improved his armband, which turned around while walking. "And finally, I found him."  
"Thanks, Angelo." Spyro smiled with thankfulness. He already started doubting, if would they find him on time.  
"No problem, if you'll need my help with Venganza, you can count on me."  
"Well, I think that I and Cynder will handle them." Spyro smiled meaningfully to Cynder. They had to pay back Glimmer for their last meeting. Angelo just shrugged.  
"Alright, I'll be going then. See you later!" The vice captain jumped in air and flew away. Two dragons watched each other.  
"I haven't expected something like that at all. He found that Glimmer faster than we and three detectives, who were helping us." Spyro noticed.  
"Yeah, it's good to know someone like him." Cynder admitted. She smiled joyfully, as her mate nuzzled her.  
"Sorry for interrupting, but are going to stay here like that forever?" Sparx flew right between them and knocked at door. Both dragons watched him with regrets. Cynder was about to give him sharp riposte, when the door opened. It was Gremlin, there were no doubts about that.  
"Long time no see, Glimmer." Spyro watched him hatefully. Old lightning dragon was completely dumbstruck for several first seconds.  
"Indeed, Spyro, Cynder. Please, come in." He bowed slightly, keeping semblance of courtesy. Three dragons and dragonfly walked to the lightning dragon's living room. His house was very small and simple.  
"Glimmer, we..." Cynder started.  
"I know what you want." Glimmer interrupted her. "My answer is no. I won't tell you a word about Venganza." His voice was so resolute and peremptory, it was hard to argue with it.  
"But..." Spyro wanted to interrupt him.  
"Leave my house. Now." That answer surprised them.  
"No!" Spyro refused angrily. He had enough of old dragon's stubbornness. "Don't you understand that with your information we can..."  
"I don't care." Glimmer replied coldly. "Leave my house and forget about me. It's your last chance. Don't make me use violence." Cynder stood right in front of old dragon. She wasn't going to give up just like that.  
"Gremlin, please, you ha..." She didn't finish her sentence, because she felt sudden blow at her cheek. It was so fast that she didn't notice, when she fell on the ground. The air rush from her lungs and she crushed against floor. That dragon had to be Sparkle  
"Spyro, watch out!" Sparx shouted. In the moment, when Gremlin attacked Cynder, he also swung his tail at the purple dragon. Spyro leaned down, avoiding tailblade for centimeters. Then, he jumped to enemy and hit his head by horns, before old dragon made any block. The lightning user tried to run away, when he felt cold tailblade at his neck. He saw Cynder, from whose lip was slowly trickling blood. Gremlin just smiled with impress.  
"We've got you!" Sparx shouted triumphantly.  
"You can't escape." Cynder said silently with note of anger. "Not this time."  
"I haven't expected that with you would stand up so quickly." Glimmer admitted. Spyro hissed angrily at old dragon.  
"Why did you do it?" He was about to lose control, as he thought that somebody hit his mate. "Is truth such a burden that you can't tell us? Don't you care about all dragons that we can save thanks for you? Don't you have any pride to face consequences of this, what you've done?"  
"No, not at all. My pride is dead. Only person that I care about is me. And I'm not going to tell you anything." Gremlin smiled. He was playing very self assure.  
"So you're not going to tell us that without any reason?" Cynder glared surprised at dragon.  
"There is reason. I want to live. Dragons won't kill me and Venganza would, if I betrayed them."  
"Venganza don't have to know that you betrayed them, Glimmer." The lightning dragon laughed, as Spyro said that.  
"If not me, then who, Spyro!? I'm the only dragon who knows where those two Vengantimos are hidden." Sparx smiled.  
"So somewhere around are two of them, huh?" The dragonfly gave old dragon amused sight. "Several seconds ago you said, that we'll get nothing from you." Sparx grinned insolently. Glimmer cursed quietly. He had to keep more silent.  
"So what, if I know? As I said, I won't tell you a word about Venganza." He continued. The purple dragon stood in front of him.  
"Glimmer, I can promise you that if you tell us about Vengantimo's localization, we'll kill them, before they will have chance to take their revenge." Spyro promised. The lightning dragon watched both young dragons and wondered what should he do.  
"We also aren't going to ask you about circumstances of buying those things from Douten. We just want to know, where they are." Cynder offered. The purple dragon glanced surprised at his mate. Glimmer shrugged and cursed silently.  
"Whatever, I'll tell you. But first, you have to promise me that you'll kill all wyverns that may be dangerous for me, right? And that there will be no consequences because of anything I've done in past."  
"Promised." Both mates nodded and said that simultaneously. Cynder took her tailblade away from dragon's neck.  
"Alright then. Let's sit down." Dragons nodded and after moment they were in living room, listening to old dragon's story about his contact with two Vengantimos... "Right now, close to city are two Vengantimos, one of them is a fire breather, Atroz, second one I don't know at all. All I have is his name: Viento." He finished.  
"Viento..." Spyro repeated slowly. "Good, there will be one Vengantimo against each of us." Spyro said to Cynder.  
"Both of them have hideout in some cave half an hour of flight at the southern-east from our city. Is that all, what you need to know?" Spyro nodded and old dragon gave him pleasant smile.  
"Thank you. We'll be going now. Vengantimos may change their localization any moment now." Spyro thanked him. He and Cynder said goodbye to the old dragon and they left his house in hurry.

Spyro and Cynder were flying quickly above city. They both felt that their hearts were beating like crazy. They already told Angelo and Genesis to care after Zap, Torch and Zealous until they wouldn't be back, so now, they could fly to meet with Venganza.  
"This is the first time, when we don't have to defend, but we can attack them." Cynder smiled to herself. That thought was giving her enthusiasm for their fight and filled her with optimism. "And finally, our hatchlings are safe."  
"But still, I'm worried about the others." Spyro noticed. Cynder read through his intention immediately.  
"Tremor, right?" She guessed. Spyro smiled and nodded.  
"And who else should we be worried about?" Sparx asked. "He's the only one to habitually dice with death."  
"But even, if Tremor faces enemy stronger than him, Candice will help him." Cynder refused.  
"But it doesn't change fact that I'm worried about him. Knowing his luck and tendency to self-sacrifice..." Spyro argued. Cynder got closer to purple dragon and nuzzled him.  
"Have more faith in him. I doubt that he would risk his life when he has whole family to care about." The black dragoness assured her mate.  
"When he has whole family, he'll risk even more for them." Sparx noticed. Two dragons agreed to that sadly.  
"Cynder, please, be careful, when we'll be there. I don't want anything bad happen to you, like last time, when we met Venganza." He asked, changing subject of their conversation.  
"No problem. I'll be fine." She said confidently.  
"I really mean it. I'll take stronger enemy."  
"What?! Why you?" She glared at him with indignation. The purple dragon gave her pleasing sight.  
"I simply want you to be safe. You know, as male it's my duty to protect my mate, et cetera..." He explained himself. Cynder smiled and kissed his cheek.  
"That's so sweet of you... Alright, if that's the reason, that's okay." She accepted. "But only this time." She added quickly.  
"Thank you." Spyro sighed with relief.  
"All the pleasure is mine." The black dragoness watched sun hidden in clouds. "Do you remember the Flying Islands?"  
"You mean that place before Malefor's lair?" Spyro asked. Cynder nodded.  
"I'm feeling exactly this same way like back then."  
"Scared?" Sparx guessed.  
"No, it's just...excitement, stress a little." The black dragoness refused. "This is our first chance to attack them, but still, they have advantage, because we don't know anything about them. We don't even know what their point is." Then she smiled, as she felt soft smell. "Wyverns, they are close." Spyro felt excitement filling his body, as his mate said that.  
"So, it's time for battle to begin."

Viento and Atroz were flying low between trees to don't be noticed by any dragon. Septimo was flying with both eyes closed and front paws holding each other. Even, if he was concentrating, he easily dodged all trees. After ten minutes of flight, Viento opened eyes.  
"What's going on?" Atroz turned his head at Septimo. He knew that gesture meant something bad.  
"Intruders." Viento stated. The fire breather cursed silently.  
"How many?"  
"One female, in mid-twenties, her body is well trained in flying, which means that she's most probably wind user and surely very good flyer. There's also male this same age like her, he's someone... specific, it's hard to say, which element he uses. Spyro and Cynder, without doubts. And also something small is with them, something like a... mosquito, but bigger." Viento stated.  
"How are you doing it?" Atroz asked.  
"This is my power. If I focused on them, I would be able to hear their voices, but it's too tiring and pointless already." Viento explained.  
"Damn it. So what are we going to do?" Atroz was cursing at his mind. He knew that he'd need a lot of luck to survive that fight.  
"They're faster than us, running away is pointless. We'll fight against them, I'll take Cynder. You just survive until I finish her, together, we'll somehow manage to escape him." Viento decided, though he had lower rank than Atroz. The fire breather nodded and both Vengantimos changed direction of flight. They increased their speed, when Viento coughed hardly. From his lips slowly trickled blood. Septimo took from his bag bottle with medicament and drank it. Atroz glared at him, worried a bit.  
"Everything's fine?" He asked. Viento nodded. "Your disease progresses. How much time do you have yet?"Atroz asked.  
"Maximum two months. Elixirs from Primero are stopping my illness, but the end is near." He said and coughed once more. Powerful, invincible warrior dying because of some disease. How ironic.  
"Do you have any wish, which you want to fill before death?" Atroz asked with curiosity. He even liked Septimo.  
"Yeah, one." He agreed. "It's long story." Viento didn't mean to answer that question. Two Vengantimos were flying above some field, when they noticed the purple dragon and his mate.  
"That's you." Spyro said and hissed angrily, as he recognized wyvern who almost killed Candice and tried to kidnap Zealous, Sierra and Tundra.  
"So, we meet again, Spyro, Cynder." Atroz said and smiled slightly. All four landed on the ground. The battle was just about to begin.


	31. True power of Venganza

Chapter 31. "Deathbringer"

"So how is your Zealous doing, Cynder?" Viento smiled devilishly, as he glared at the black dragoness. "Or wait, don't tell me. I'll ask her, when I'll be done with both of you." Cynder hissed angrily. If that would be youngster like Dame, she wouldn't stop herself, but she knew that she shouldn't be reckless.  
"Spyro, I'll deal with this one." Cynder pointed Viento.  
"Wait, don't be too impetuous." Spyro warned her. Meanwhile, Viento turned his head at Atroz.  
"Are we waiting or attacking?" Septimo asked. Atroz watched dragons.  
"Train your patience, Septimo. And don't worry, you'll fight Cynder." At this same moment, Spyro was whispering something to his mate.  
"Alright, take that Septimo, I will kill Atroz." He agreed with her plan. Cynder nodded with satisfaction.  
"Let's do it quickly and go back home." The black dragoness suggested. Two dragons ran to Vengantimos. Atroz jumped in the air and started flying away.  
"Catch me, if you can, Spyro!" The wyvern shouted, as Spyro started following him. Cynder and her enemy jumped in the air. The black dragoness slashed with her talons, but Viento flew back dodging it. Cynder tried to use Convexity, when the wyvern straightened one of his arms at her. The black dragoness felt powerful blast at her chest and sudden blow threw her away. She started rolling uncontrollably and tried to stop herself with wind, but it didn't work at all. Cynder crashed on the ground. She slowly stood up and groaned with pain. She understood that this fight wasn't going to be as easy, as she expected.

Sparx hid in branches of tree, as he was told to do, and watched fight. He would prefer to be at Spyro's side, but when it was battle of flames it was very risky idea. Spyro dodged big fire ball and shot at enemy lightning. Atroz rolled at side avoiding electricity, reloaded gauntlet and shot needles to the dragon. Spyro, who saw them for first time, barely managed to don't get hurt. Atroz smiled and sent at enemy tens of small fireballs. Spyro started flying higher disappearing from wyvern's sight for moment. Then he dove to enemy and shot ice spikes in his back. Atroz countered attack by his element creating between him and the purple dragon big cloud of mist. The wyvern knew, what was about to happen, so he turned around and started flying away from the mist, ready to shield himself from attack. He shot needles into the mist, but then was hit by small lightning in shoulder. Spyro appeared from the mist and slashed with both paws, but the wyvern blocked them. Then, the purple dragon crushed at his head big bullet of earth. Vengantimo started losing his height to finally land, cursing silently terrible headache. Spyro landed several meters from enemy. From his cheek was slowly dripping blood, it was wound after one of blindly shot needles.  
"Several centimeters closer and you would be dead, Spyro." Atroz noticed.  
"What is point of Venganza? Who did you want to get in Warfang?" Spyro asked with demanding voice. "We know that your point were two females." The fire breather glared at Spyro surprised.  
"And how do you know that?" The wyvern asked.  
"Crue told us before his death. Answer my question, wyvern." Spyro ordered him. Atroz cursed silently his younger brother.  
"Oppositely to Crue, I'm loyal to Primero. And I don't believe that you would let me live, even if I told you all, what I knew." It seemed like wyvern wasn't going to change his mind.  
"Even if I promise?" Spyro asked. Atroz just laughed.  
"Promise?" He gave Spyro amused sight. "Your kind's promises are worthless to me. I will not negotiate with you." Atroz shot the fireball, finishing their conversation. Spyro stopped it with earth bullet and dodged needles, jerking his head. All three silver bullets whistled several centimeters from Spyro's head. Both fighters jumped in the air simultaneously. The wyvern tried to fly next to the purple dragon and slash his side, but Spyro caught his paw and hit wyvern's face with tail, leaving him long wound across face. Before Vengantimo was sent away by that blow, Spyro managed to slash his chest and shoot surprised enemy with the lightning. Atroz landed at the branch of some oak and jumped away from it quickly, barely dodging stream of Convexity. Two enemies started flying around each other and shooting fireballs, trying to reach opponent.  
"Convexity?" Atroz tried to slash purple dragon by talons, but Spyro blocked blow. "Aren't you playing too serious?" The wyvern asked. Spyro shot another fireball. This time, he managed to hit enemy's hinder leg.  
"I'm not going to kill you instantly. You'll tell me several things." Spyro assured him.  
"And what if I refuse?" Atroz asked.  
"You will spit it out, whenever you like it or not." Spyro replied. Atroz slashed dragon's paw, but then Spyro punched him with his head. Atroz dove to the ground, trying to buy himself some time. The purple dragon followed him and landed several meters from him. The fire breather took off mask, which was hiding one half of his face. He never used it at fight, it was too uncomfortable for him. He threw mask away and Spyro glared at wyvern's face. At half of it he had only several scales and his eye was closed. Or rather this, what remained from his eye after Candice's blow.  
"Aren't you scared about your mate, Spyro?" Vengantimo asked.  
"As if I would tell you." Spyro replied. The fire breather laughed with pity.  
"So you believe, she'll be fine, huh? Recklessness. You don't know what Viento's power is and why he was chosen to be Septimo." The purple dragon was making circles around his enemy, waiting for opportunity to attack.  
"We defeated Malefor together. I doubt that ordinary Vengantimo would be able to kill her." He replied.  
"That proves that you're proud fool." Atroz quickly reloaded his gauntlet and watched carefully changes at Spyro's face expression. "Viento can't lose that duel."  
"Quit that, Atroz." Spyro ordered him. The fire breather rolled his eyes annoyed with dragon's ignorance.  
"No, I want you to know the truth. I want you to know that Cynder isn't able to even scratch Viento. Get ready for truth behind Septimo's power."

Cynder was staying ten meters from Viento. She knew that straight attack wasn't going to work out, she had to do something else and discover how Viento managed to do that blow. She was sure that it couldn't be any element, not even wind. Wind could be controlled by wings and jaws, not paws. Cynder made a defensive pose. She had to quickly find out, how worked Septimo's power or she would be in serious trouble.  
"Wondering about strategy against me, huh?" Viento smiled with contempt. "I'm afraid that you won't make out, what kind of power I have, before I kill you."  
"Challenge accepted." Cynder replied. The wyvern jumped in air and started flying at her.  
"Defend yourself!" Vengantimo shouted. Cynder jumped in air and tried to attack him straightly once again, when Septimo shot needles. He didn't aim at the black dragoness, all three flew several meters above her. Then he dove dodging lightning which appeared from nowhere. He touched ground with front paws and jumped back in the air behind Cynder, avoiding the fireball, which reached place, where he was one second earlier. At both dragoness's sides landed some dragons.  
"Angelo? Genesis? What are you doing here?" Cynder asked them, completely dumbstruck. The lightning dragon watched Vengantimo.  
"Last time you helped us. Now, we'll repay our debt." They wanted to attack him, when Cynder grasped their shoulders.  
"Wait, it's not your fight. I can handle him." She refused.  
"Cyn, plea..." Angelo tried to argue.  
"Don't call me like that, Angelo." Cynder admonished him. The lightning dragon blushed with embarrassment.  
"Sorry." He apologized.  
"But still, we want to help you. Give us a chance to kill him." Genesis continued his brother's sentence. "We're not going to stay and watch this fight." Cynder sighed deeply.  
"Five minutes. Then I'm going to join." She decided. The fire breather smiled and nodded.  
"Fair enough." The red dragon turned to his brother. "Angelo, which strategy this time?"  
"Dance." Two dragons jumped to the enemy. Viento straightened his arms ready to throw enemies away, but then, both of them jumped in the air above the wyvern. Angelo dove right to Septimo, who jumped away. Then, Vengantimo flew a little higher to dodge Genesis' fireball. The fire breather tried to slash enemy's face, but Viento jumped away. He rolled at the side dodging Angelo's lightning. Meanwhile, the red dragon jumped to Vengantimo and almost pierced him by tailblade, but Septimo flew back just in time. Less than one second later Viento blocked lightning user's paws and jumped away from stream of fire. After two minutes two captains scratched the wyvern several times, but gave him no serious wound, though they were giving their best.  
"I think I know why you called it dance. It's so regular, that I have no problems with reading through it." Viento noticed, as he blocked yellow dragon's blow. "Angelo..." He bounced away and dodged fireball. "Genesis. Angelo..." He jumped in the air to dodge lightning. "Now Genesis." He turned around to the fire breather, but this time Angelo attacked. Septimo barely noticed that, but he dove just in time. When the lightning dragon was above wyvern, Septimo straightened his paw and sent Angelo high in air with this same power, as he used previously against Cynder. Viento followed the dragon and hit him again sending dumbstruck vice-captain to the ground. Then he shot to laying dragon three needles, which disappeared in stream of Convexity. Between unconscious dragon and Vengantimo landed Cynder. Next to her stood Genesis.  
"Genesis, take Angelo to city, I'll finish that wyvern." The black dragoness ordered.  
"Cynder..." The fire breather tried to argue, but Cynder watched him with deadly serious sight.  
"I think I start understanding his fighting style. From this point, it'll be easy." She lied him. The fire breather sighed deeply.  
"Fine." He took his brother at his back. "Be careful." Genesis flew away to city. Cynder and Viento jumped in the air and started flying higher and higher. The wyvern reloaded his gauntlet.  
"Aren't you too reckless? You saw, how strong I am and still, you decided to fight me. Not to run away, Terror of the Skies?"  
"This is your weak point, wyverns. You all underestimate us." Cynder watched carefully enemy searching for any openings.  
"My name is Viento de la Muerto, Septimo Vengantimo. You know, our names were given to us by Primero. They all have their meaning. And my name says that I'm death. I am Muerte, death bringer. I have enough of living in your shadow. I've heard thousands stories how mighty you are. Terror of Skies did this, Terror of Skies did that... Every time when, just as hatchling, I and my father were escaping from the battlefield, I would watch you, glare into your eyes. But it wasn't wrath what I felt. It was envy. I sought your power. I promised myself that one day, I would surpass you. And to prove that I'm finally stronger, I will kill you!" The wyvern smiled devilishly, as he pointed her. Cynder saw that one of sapphires he has at lip and at each his wing were three another. She started wondering, why where they placed in such strange places.  
"Don't be so self-assure." She warned him coldly. "Pride is first step to death."  
"Cynder, Terror of the Skies, you, who bring death from above, this is your end!" Viento shouted. The black dragoness hissed angrily at the wyvern, she already had enough of being reminded of her past. She flew quickly above Viento. Vengantimo shot to her three silver needles. Cynder pushed them all out of her way with blow of wind. She tried to slash enemy with paws, but wyvern caught both her arms. The black dragoness charged Convexity in her mouth, when she heard silent whiz from behind. She released herself from wyvern's grasp quickly and dove, barely managing to don't get pierced by three needles, which changed their direction and flew back to their owner's gauntlet.  
"Surprise." Viento smiled devilishly. Cynder couldn't understand, what had just happened. She never heard that anyone would be able to control so small object in such precise way. She guessed, it was magic. She didn't know any other explanation, but still, she wasn't sure about that. That's why, she decided to finish that fight quickly. And she knew how to do it. Cynder took deep breath. Vengantimo cursed, as he understood, what was going to happen. He covered his ears, but it was useless. Cynder released blood-freezing shriek of fear from her jaws. Viento beaten strongly his wings, as if he tried to push wave of sound away, but he couldn't dodge that. His limbs started shaking from fear. The wyvern wasn't able to make a move. He barely managed to remain in the air.  
"W...w...what is that?" He asked with scared voice as he saw purple glow in jaws of the black dragoness. She started charging Convexity.  
"Fear. You feel it so intensively probably first time in your whole life, don't you?" She asked. Viento was scared and mad at this same time. His eyes were glowing with hatred.  
"That's... ridiculous! You can't kill me by something like that! You can't kill your death using such pathetic power!" He shouted madly, paralyzed by fear. Cynder glared at him coldly. "You cannot do it, Terror of the...!" His last words drowned in the roar of Convexity, which surrounded Septimo's body.

Atroz dodged the earth bullet. Whole his torso was bleeding intensively, covered with several deep, but not mortal wounds, in the middle of fight he had to take off metal gauntlet, which started getting too hot because of whole that fire. Spyro's shoulder was bleeding slowly, at his cheek was long scratch. They both were tired with fight already.  
"Die, dragon!" Atroz flew to the purple dragon and shot at him big fireball. Spyro dove and released from his mouth volley of ice spikes. The wyvern countered blow with his element. He flew right before Spyro and tried to kill enemy slitting his throat. The dragon blocked blow. From his mouth appeared lightning, which hit the wyvern in chest, throwing him on the ground. Atroz groaned with pain and tried to stand up, but he slipped at sheet of ice and then pillar of earth hit wyvern's chest. Vengantimo felt as if all his muscles were burning. Then he noticed Spyro staying right above him.  
"What is point of Venganza?" He asked. Atroz just snorted.  
"Fuck you, bastard." Vengantimo replied. Spyro was about to hit him, when he was thrown away by strong wave of wind. Spyro stood up about ten meters from laying wyvern. Between him and Atroz landed small black dragoness. She giggled, as she gave purple dragon amused sight.  
"Hi Spyro." She smiled like little girl.  
"Vixen? What are you doing here?" Atroz asked. Both fighters watched her with shock.  
"Saving your tail, Atroz. I would prefer you dead, but order is order. Now stand up and get lost. I'll keep Spyro here." She ordered him, speaking little know-it-all hatchling.  
"You think that you stand chance against him?" The wyvern smirked. "You're just kid, nothing compared to the purple dragon."  
"I proved you not once that I'm stronger than you. Now, go back to Primero, unless you want to fight Spyro for yourself." She repeated herself. Atroz admitted reluctantly that he not really liked the goal number two. He slowly stood up and started flying away. Then, Spyro started flying to follow the wyvern. He flew next to the black dragoness without even giving her simple sight.  
"Don't ignore me!" Vixen shouted. The purple dragon felt strong wind, which suddenly pushed him back to the ground. The black dragoness quickly stood between him and withdrawing wyvern. "Spyro, don't ignore me. I hate, when somebody does it." She pleased. Two dragons stood, facing each other. "I hoped we would meet once again." The young dragoness gave him cute smile, as if they weren't going to fight, but have some careless conversation.  
"I don't want to fight you, Vixen." The purple dragon felt that he wasn't ready for this fight yet.  
"It doesn't change a fact, we will fight." Vixen noticed. Spyro gave her pleasing sight.  
"Can't you just fly away? I promise that I'm not going to follow you and Atroz." He offered. The black dragoness laughed.  
"You really want to avoid this fight. Sorry, but I have to protect Viento from you. I'm not even sure, if he'll survive fight against Cynder." Then she gave him devilish smile. "And also, I want to fight you. I'm curious, how strong the purple dragon is."  
"But Cynder is going to die! She has no idea, what that Septimo can..." Spyro argued.  
"She'll be fine." Vixen interrupted him. The purple dragon turned his head and watched in direction, where Cynder was. Somewhere there his mate was fighting. He felt helpless.  
"You don't know that." Spyro said.  
"I know her skills, since I'm the wind user as well. And Cynder has also fear, shadows, poison and Convexity." She smiled to Spyro. "Don't worry. The most powerful dragoness in the whole world can't be defeated by so low-ranked Vengantimo. I know that you're worried about your mate. But trust me, she can't lose." In her voice was something that made Spyro believe. Just like in Cynder's. The purple dragon had no idea, how much similarities those two still hadn't been revealed. "Spyro, let's fight."  
"What are you doing here, Vixen? Why are you with Venganza? You have nothing that keeps you there, no reason to fight against dragons. After all, you're dragoness." The purple dragon tried to convince her to give up on fight.  
"I am also Primero's daughter. It's my duty to fight you. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not forced to do it. Dad gave me new life. Everything I have, I owe to him. I want to pay my debt back, since it's my responsibility." Then, Vixen made the defensive position. "Let's fight. And show me all, what you've got. I want this fight to be as epic, as your first duel with Cynder."  
"Are you sure, I won't kill you?" Spyro asked, actually worried about her.  
"No, I can't know that. But I want to know how it is to fight you." She smiled devilishly. Since Cynder was at equal level as Spyro, to equal with her she had not to just lose against her mate. They both jumped in the air. The purple dragon and the black dragoness began their battle.

Cynder couldn't believe her eyes. In front of her, there was flying Viento. Fear wasn't working at him at all, the black dragoness guessed, it didn't affect enemy from the very beginning. The wyvern hadn't any wounded scale, Convexity didn't even touch him. Vengantimo laughed loudly.  
"I told you that's ridiculous! You can't kill your death!" Septimo reloaded his gauntlet. "Let me finish your pathetic existence, Cynder! Let me fill my dream!" When Cynder watched enemy's face expression, he seemed to be insane. His heart was leaping in euphoria of bestially pleasure. There was something scaring about him. Cynder felt, as if he was really immortal. Viento put three needles to his gauntlet. That was her opportunity. The black dragoness used shadows to appear in front of enemy, who didn't expect anything. She stabbed enemy's sternum. Tailblade started going through scales and skin, but it stopped, as it reached bone. Dumbstruck black dragoness felt cold gauntlet, which touched her cheek.  
"Farewell, Cynder." Viento whispered. Cynder breathed wind into gauntlet. Deadly bullets stopped inside of it, giving her priceless seconds. The dragoness bounced away from her enemy. Viento shot these same three needles once more, but she made sudden turn and increased distance between her and Vengantimo. The wyvern didn't even try to follow her. Cynder didn't know what to do. There was no attack that could hurt him. Fear and Convexity didn't work out. Poison couldn't do a thing to the wyvern. Even with shadows she wasn't able to wound Vengantimo seriously. Only wind left. The black dragoness landed and watched enemy in front of her. "Viento de la Muerto." She whispered. "Does it mean he can't be defeated, like death? No." She shook her head. "He can't be immortal." Cynder noticed reflex of light at place, where she stabbed him. "How's that possible? He didn't even try to avoid Convexity and he's not harmed at all. He seems to release his powers from paws. But what is it? Muerto means death. And Viento? This must be something obvious. Something so simple that I haven't even thought about it..."  
"Cynder!" Viento interrupted her wondering. "Let's finish this right now." He straightened both arms and pointed them at the black dragoness. "I'm going to kill you with my next attack." His eyes were glowing with mad joy. The black dragoness swallowed hardly. In her head started appearing plan, but she had no idea, if she was right. Only thing that she knew was that price for slightest mistake in her assumption would be her life.


	32. Desire

Chapter 32. "Desire"

Vixen dove beneath Spyro dodging his earth bullet just for centimeters. The purple dragon tried to follow her, but then young dragoness beaten with her wings sending to him wave of air pushing him away. The wind user rapidly changed her direction and started flying to him. Spyro shot earth bullets again, but the wind dragoness made a barrel roll, so when she was flying above Spyro, she was upside down. Vixen spun quickly cutting his back several times with tailblade. The purple dragon turned around and shot stream of Convexity to the dragoness, who was behind him already. Vixen turned her head and beaten with her wings strongly. She started flying higher so suddenly, it looked, as if she bounced from invisible wall. Spyro watched her impressed. If he would try something like that, while flying so fast, he would surely break his wings. He knew that she was able to do so risky and hard air evolutions thanks for controlling wind, just like Cynder. And that was reason that he would never surpass both those dragonesses when speaking of flying. Vixen giggled, as she noticed Spyro's flabbergasted face.  
"Surprised?" Vixen dove to the purple dragon quickly and took deep breath. Spyro flew above her dodging wave of her wind. He shot lightning, but the black dragoness dashed suddenly beneath it and tried to slash his hinder legs. Spyro swung his tail trying to hit Vixen's face and if he was a little faster, he'd surely succeed. But the dragoness raised her paw blocking blow. She groaned with pain and quickly flew away from her opponent. Vixen glared at her finger. Because of strong hit it was twisted. She pushed it strongly and hissed as it moved back at its place. Vixen raised her sight to notice red inferno enclosing to her quickly. No time to escape. Spyro's eyes grew with surprise, as he saw that dragoness didn't dodge that, but let stream of fire surround whole her body. He knew that, if she didn't dodged, she would be lucky to be still alive. Then in front of him, there appeared Vixen. Only damage she had were a bit softly burned several scales at her face. She sighed with relief and giggled.  
"Not bad Spyro. One second more and even wind wouldn't save me." She admitted. "Oh, it burns." She noticed painfully, as she put paw at her cheek.  
"I thought that you would dodge it." Spyro said with apologizing voice.  
"Well, I completely forgot myself, when I started watching your beautiful eyes." She giggled, watching his surprise. "By the way, you don't waste any opportunity to attack, Spyro." She noticed. The purple dragon flushed a bit, as he realized that she blamed him for attacking when she wasn't even looking at him.  
"Shall we continue?" Spyro watched the black dragoness ready for eventual counterattack. Until that moment, he managed to give her one quite deep wound at her back. Vixen's style was completely different than his. She had given him a lot of not serious wounds, especially at his back and hinder limbs. If she would continue her strategy, there was possibility that she would win by bleeding him out. The black dragoness remained silent.  
"So, will we continue?" Spyro asked again.  
"Sorry, I started watching your eyes again." Vixen shook her head quickly, clearing her mind from thoughts about him. "You have such beautiful eyes..." She whispered with dreamy voice.  
"So, what will we do now?" The purple dragon asked impatiently. He knew that he wouldn't be able to fly to Cynder against Vixen's will, not with her power of wind. And besides, this situation was becoming awkward for him.  
"Now, I'm going to Atroz." The young dragoness decided.  
"Unable to fight because of that beauty eyes?" Spyro joked.  
"Yes." She admitted, embarrassing Spyro a bit. "Take care after Cynder. There's small chance that she's endangered after all." She watched the purple dragon, who nodded slowly. "Alright then. I'll be going. Fighting you has been pleasure, but I'm not stopping you anymore." Vixen turned around and was ready to fly away.  
"Wait, Vixen." Spyro called her .The black dragoness turned at him.  
"What?" She asked curiously.  
"Your name." He glared at the black dragoness with pity, as he thought that she had lost whole family, when she was just five. "At first I wondered, why you were called like that, but I understand now. It fits you perfectly. So smooth, small and moving around so fast that enemies have problem to even see you. I just want to say that your parents gave you perfect name."  
"You know..." This voice was filled with sadness, like Cynder's, when she spoke about her past. Spyro understood that he made terrible mistake. "This name wasn't given to me by my real parents, but by Primero, when he found me alone in the forest." From her eye dropped tear. "My parents gave me another name. It was from wyvern's language and it had completely different meaning." She smiled sadly. "It meant smile." Their sights met. The tears were flowing down her cheeks, as she recalled death of her parents. Spyro cursed himself in mind. To bring little dragoness to tears. He was feeling like an idiot. Vixen straightened her wings ready to flight. "Goodbye, Spyro. Sorry for those tears. I...I shouldn't cry." She apologized, stumbling a little.  
"No, I am sorry. Goodbye, Vixen." The black dragoness smiled, as she jumped in the air and flew to Atroz. The purple dragon watched Vixen beating quickly her black wings. At every meeting with her, he was discovering more and more similarities between her and Cynder. He had no idea, what he would find out at their third meeting. He couldn't even expect, what was going to happen.

Viento glared at Cynder with contempt and laughed loudly.  
"Get ready for coming of the death bringer, Cynder! You, who used to be called the Terror of Skies!" He put quickly three needles to gauntlet, three other he was grasping in his second paw. "Now, I'll kill you with those needles to fulfill my dream!" While Vengantimo was shouting, Cynder was watching enemy carefully and looking for opportunity to attack. She knew that the next five minutes would determine about their life and death. The black dragoness jumped in the air. Septimo laughed with contempt as he aimed at dragoness with needles.  
"So you want to start, huh?! Alright, I'm in coming!"  
"You talk too much, wyvern." Cynder dove and made sudden turn to avoid three silver needles, which almost got her. Viento made silver bullets turn back to black dragoness. Then all of them disappeared in stream of Convexity, as the black dragoness turned around and released it. It was good choice for Cynder, but she was turned at enemy with her back now. Viento shot another three needles, so the dragoness rolled at side dodging them. The wyvern straightened his arm to send dragoness away, but she flew away from blow of strange energy and attacked wyvern by both paws. Vengantimo blocked one of them with gauntlet and another by his paw, which got pierced by dragoness's talons. Viento smiled devilishly. His voice was trembling with excitement.  
"It's over, Cynder." The black dragoness heard three needles enclosing to back of her head.  
"Indeed it is." The dragoness beaten with her wings and all bullets stopped for while. Before Viento reacted, Cynder jumped back, caught all three needles from back of her head and released Convexity, which was already charged at her mouth. Void energy surrounded Septimo, he was too close to avoid it this time. After several seconds, Cynder landed on the ground and felt relief filling her heart, as the wyvern fell on the ground hardly. She was right. She made out his abilities. Cynder sighed with relief. Then, her eyes grew wide. Vengantimo slowly stood up, coughing hardly.  
"Impossible..." Viento whispered and he spited blood on the ground. The most of his scales were burnt, especially at the face, where he lost some of them and his only eye. The black dragoness understood how that happened that he survived so close meeting with Convexity. He countered it just in time to survive. "That's impossible! No one is able to uncover my powers in such short time!" Vengantimo took off metal gauntlet which, because of Cynder's last attack, became useless. "How did you..."  
"You talk too much." The black dragoness interrupted him. Septimo's eyes grew wide with shock. "At first, I wondered, how that was possible that you released something so strange with your paws, how you controlled needles and shielded yourself from fear and Convexity. Then I recalled what you said. That your names aren't pointless. Viento. Wind. That movement of your arms was just decoy, you were using wind with your wings and mouth. Your gems were perfect clue to confirm that theory. And besides, fear is sound, you can easily block it. You created stream of wind to scatter Convexity around you. And I thought it could work only with fire. You can control needles by weak blows of wind and block my own wind, that's why it I couldn't even slow down using it for my own." She smiled. "Everything fits. You lost, Viento. Give up." The wyvern hissed angrily.  
"No! I'll pierce your throat with my talons right now..." He took from his bag three needles. "...to bring you death, to fulfill my desire and my destiny!" The wyvern started running at her. He couldn't see her, but felt her with wind and it was just enough. He didn't need eyes to kill her. He thrown to her three needles and the dragoness threw her ones. All six bullets met in the midway and stopped under pressure of two powerful blows of wind. Cynder and Viento appeared there just a second later. In eyes of both them was glowing hatred, their jaws were releasing furious cry. They slashed each other and made several steps. Then, both of them fell on the ground hardly. The black dragoness groaned with pain. She had three long and quite deep wounds at her side. Pain made standing up very harder and that bleeding was very problematic for her. About ten meters from her was Viento. Because of Convexity, all his body felt as if it was burning, but he understood that only new wound was scratch at his shoulder. The wyvern smiled, using wind at the very last moment to raise her paw above him appeared to be perfect idea.  
"I won, Cy..." He tried to speak, when he coughed hardly and quite big amount of blood fell from his lips on the ground. His lungs burnt with pain. He understood that it was his end. The disease was killing him. Though that and terrible pain in his chest, he continued. "I won. Even, if I'm dying from disease, I killed you." He could smell intensive stench of Cynder's blood at his claws. "With that wound you won't make it to the city." The wyvern smiled. Finally, he achieved this, what he always dreamt about. He surpassed Cynder.  
"You, who always knew, what would be my next move, appeared to be fool." Cynder stated. Viento couldn't see Cynder's face, but he knew that the black dragoness was smiling with something like pity.  
"What are you talking about?" Vengantimo turned around at her and asked, with such a voice, as if she was insane.  
"Your disease isn't reason of that cough." She explained, still standing with her back to him. That shocked wyvern. He had no idea what she was talking about.  
"For long time, I couldn't understand how you stopped my tailblade with your own sternum. But I saw reflex of light, there, at your chest. That's metallic reflex. I have no idea and I don't really care if it's effect of mutation or some complicated surgery." The black dragoness knew that Viento, who sought for her death from bottom of his heart, would never answer her any question, so she didn't even try to ask. "I guess that whole your chest is armored like that, so at first I thought that physical attacks aimed at it would be pointless. But then, I came up with the idea that there must be some gaps between ribs to let you breathe normally. And I put all six needles that were between us into those holes." She explained. The wyvern glared at her with hatred. He couldn't believe that she managed to hurt him using his own weapon. He couldn't believe that for first time, his plan failed him. But still, he wasn't going to give up on his dream. Not yet.  
"It's not over yet!" He made offensive position. His talons scratched the ground, as he clenched fists in overwhelming anger. His breath was irregular, but very fast.  
"Give up already. The duel is over." The black dragoness didn't even turn her head, she was staying turned with her back to him. She didn't expect Viento to be that stubborn.  
"No! I'm not done yet!" He started running to Cynder. "I can't lose! I am death bringer! I am Viento de la Muerto! I shall not fall to you!" Though barely standing, he continued running and screaming furiously. Even, if both his lungs were pierced by needles, he still had will to fight, will to fulfill his desire. Cynder felt blow of wind, which meant that enemy was getting closer. The black dragoness turned around slowly to face him and also started running. Her side burnt with pain, but she ignored it. She watched Viento's face, which showed real despair of person, who knew that he was dying. At another circumstances, she would feel pity. But not for him. "Viento, why can't you acknowledge that..." Cynder disappeared in shadows. She appeared right in front of Vengantimo. The wyvern tried to stab her throat, but the black dragoness jerked her head dodging it and straightened her arm. "...you are mortal." The wyvern tried to make another blow, but he was too slow. Black talons went into his chest between metal ribs. They pierced through his heart without any problem. The wyvern widened his eyes and groaned quietly with pain. From wound gushed blood. It covered chests of both fighters. Viento's straightened arm fell slowly at her shoulder. Several drips of blood left wyvern's mouth. One of them flowed at sapphire at Viento's lip, changing its azure previously color into bloody crimson. Vengantimo collapsed. His chest stopped moving, fingers straightened, blinded eyes were never going to open again. And even at last seconds of his life, he couldn't understand that he lost, because he didn't abandon his arrogance. That if he would respect enemy, he would have chance to win that fight. Cynder watched the wyvern. She hadn't any doubts that he was dead now.  
At first, she thought that Viento deserved higher rank than just seventh, but she already understood that she was wrong. Septimo seemed to be strong as long as he had plan. When Cynder worked out wyvern's fighting style, finishing him wasn't really hard. Besides, if Septimo fought for example lightning user, he'd be in serious trouble.  
The dragoness barely stood still. Pain at her side was so intensive that she had problems with one of her hinder legs. Cynder sat down. She wanted to slow her breath and look for some medical leaves in wyvern's bag, before she would start flight to find Spyro. The black dragoness took Viento's bag and made several steps from Vengantimo. She didn't like idea of sitting in wyvern's blood and smelling his stench. She opened Septimo's pocket, but there were only needles, tens of them. The dragoness sighed sadly.  
"Just needles." She whispered with annoyance. Then, she heard someone coming. She jerked her head curiously to see, who was coming. Then, from between trees appeared Spyro, right next to him was flying Sparx.  
"I told you she'd be fine." Sparx said to his brother. Cynder grinned with amusement hearing that.  
"Cynder!" Spyro shouted with relief.  
"Spyro!" The black dragoness smiled, happy that her mate was alright. She started running to Spyro, who just landed. They met at the halfway and hugged each other. The purple dragon gave Cynder wet kiss.  
"Oh, what a relief. I was scared that something happened to you." Spyro felt much better, when he saw Cynder fine, even if wounded. Even if Vixen tried to assure him that his mate would be alright, he still was worrying about her all that time.  
"I told you." Sparx repeated himself.  
"Atroz explained me, what was Viento's power. I wasn't sure, if you won against him." Spyro explained himself.  
"You're worrying about me all the time, honey." Cynder said with blaming voice. "That's so lovely..." She nuzzled her mate. The purple dragon lifted his head to watch the sky. It was almost sunset already and sky began to darken.  
"We should go back to the city. It's getting dark." Spyro suggested.  
"Yeah, let's go." Cynder admitted. She straightened her wings and then, groaned silently with pain.  
"Will you make it to city? You have nasty blow." Spyro worried about her. He watched her wounds carefully. There would remain scar for sure.  
"I'll be fine." Cynder assured him. She meant to jump in the air, but she felt somehow dizzy and would fall on the ground, if Spyro hadn't caught her just in time.  
"I better carry you." The purple dragon suggested, full of worries about her.  
"Yeah." Cynder agreed silently. She felt very weak, she could see that she was disturbingly pale, flight in such state was only unnecessary risk. Spyro took his mate on his back, spread wings and took flight. As they were leaving field, which was battlefield just fifteen minutes earlier, the black dragoness felt creeps all around her body and very unpleasant chill at her back. And it wasn't only loss of blood, so serious already that she was sure she'd faint any second. She realized that if she would understand Septimo's powers several minutes later, it was quite plausible that she would be the one to lie on the ground in the puddle of blood flowing from her own heart. Cynder shook her head getting rid of that vision. Septimo was gone, she could remove him from her mind.


	33. Two worlds

Chapter 33. "Two worlds"

"Tremor!" Calling in his mind woke up the earth guardian. He opened his eyes to see that he was lying on the grass in the middle of some forest. He stood up slowly and watched around. He had no idea, where he was, he didn't recognize that place. At the sky there were some stars, but he didn't know any of them, as if they were from different world. It was strange place. He didn't feel wind, there was something unnatural about it.  
"Where am I?" He asked himself. "Octava!" Then, he looked left side of his chest and his left shoulder. He hadn't even a scar there. As if that battle had never happened.  
"What's going on?" Then, he heard that someone was enclosing to him. He saw dark figure slipping between trees. "Who's there?" He asked and made defensive pose.  
"Tremor?" He heard female voice. He knew this voice. Then, the mysterious dragoness stood in beam of moonlight. Tremor couldn't believe his eyes.  
"You..." He whispered. He felt creeps across whole his body, not believing his eyes at all.

Brute was putting his bombs to bag, which waslying on the ground. Meanwhile, he kept narrowing at young green dragoness. Sexto smiled to himself.  
"She's so cute, when she sleeps." He said to himself. Mar jerked his head.  
"What are you muttering?" The water user asked.  
"Nothing." Brute replied shortly and watched the dragoness, who he intended to change into his daughter.  
"Brute, it's not going to work out." Mar stated. Brute glared at him surprised.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Her." Octava pointed the green dragoness. "You should have killed her. That little brat only gives us problems." Brute hissed angrily.  
"Hey, don't call her like that!" He opposed.  
"I apologize, dragoness." Mar filled those words with contempt and irony. "Anyway, you really pissed off Candice. Even, if you give Sierra that elixir of oblivion, I honestly doubt if you'll live long enough to complete her mutation. And the second problem is that you'll change her body, not her psyche. In her heart, she will feel that she doesn't belong to our race." Brute ignored that fact and just shrugged.  
"I don't think so. Look at Vixen. Anyway, is there anything serious that bothers you?" Brute asked. Mar gave his partner annoyed sight. He hated ignorance.  
"Yeah, two things, or rather, two dragons. First one, Tremor." Mar started enumerating. Sexto laughed loudly.  
"Come off it, Mar, you said that he's dead. He can't rebirth, right?" Brute noticed.  
"What an irony, because as you know,the earth guardian had already died once, ten years ago. Besides, I didn't see his dead body. His chance to survive is minimal, practically zero, but still, he may be alive." Mar argued. Brute rolled his eyes and continued selecting bombs to his bag.  
"Even if you're right, you'll quickly kill him next time and I'll finish Candice."  
"What if there will be also that medic, who has been so problematic lately? We both know that she's Candice's close friend. After Tremor and Flush's death, she will surely be involved in that. And since she's Flush's mate..."  
"You mean that Ivory, who dislocated Decimo's shoulder?" Brute guessed. Mar nodded. "No need to worry, she's just medic, right?"  
"That is the problem. Before our encounter with guardian, Fuerzo gathered some information about her in hospital where she works. She's not ordinary medic. She's the best wizard in city, maybe even in the whole world. Even if her main skill is healing, I saw dead bodies of wyverns, who had to assassinate her and guardians. There were no signs of elements, so that had to be her. Ivory finished ten wyverns, one of them was simply butchered and I haven't found even one drip of blood from dragon other than Flush."  
"She killed them without simple scratch?" Brute asked with disbelief. Mar smiled. He finally reached a point.  
"She literally crushed their bodies. And also, she surely knows that you were Vengantimo, who killed her mate, since you told that Candice. So, if Ivory slaughtered all that assassins in act of wrath, then one mistake and your fate will be much worse than even their." Mar warned him. Brute glared with widely opened eyes at Octava. He had to admit that he was scared. "So what? Will you change your mind?"Mar asked. Sexto slowly shook his head.  
"We have orders from Primero. That first battle was very unfortunate for us, but no more mistakes and unwanted death. You know that we have to keep them here as long as we can, to buy time Sable and Icey." Then he took from bag black elixir.  
"What's that?" Mar asked curiously.  
"Potion of oblivion for Sierra. I think it's time." Sexto watched carefully small bottle of dark liquid. He shook it gently and watched ripples, which formed at its surface. It was his only oblivion elixir he had, the others were in Venganza's main camp. "It's time to completely change your life, dragoness." The wyvern went to green dragoness and poked her side gently. "Time to wake up, kid." Sierra cracked one of her eyes. As she noticed wyvern, she stood up and tried to run, until she was stopped by chain holding her neck. Sierra collapsed on the ground hardly. When she tried to stand up, she heard Brute's voice.  
"Easy, youngster. I'm not going to do anything bad to you." The green dragoness slowly turned her head to see Sexto. She recognized that wyvern. She knew that it was Vengantimo,who almost killed her in Warfang.  
"N...no?" Dragoness's voice was shaking, even more than her limbs. She tried to take chain off, but there was no way. Being so close to the one that tried to kill her was terrifying experience for her.  
"Of course, not, I wouldn't be able to hurt such beautiful being." Brute assured her. Sierra was confused by that. She was sure that he was lying, but his voice was so honest. She didn't know how to behave.  
"How about we make a deal? I'll take off that chain of yours." Brute suggested.  
"And what I have to do?" Sierra asked carefully.  
„I want you to drink something." Brute showed dragoness black elixir. Sierra glared at it with concern. Her eyes were following bottle carefully.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"Medicine to your illness."The wyvern explained. The earth dragoness swallowed hardly. She had bad feelings about that.  
"And what... if say no?" She asked. Mar grinned with triumph to Sexto, who just took a deep breath.  
"Well, you would prefer to avoid that." Brute assured her calmly.  
"Why?" Young dragoness asked, uncertainly.  
"Do you see that guy?" Sexto pointed Octava and dragoness slowly nodded. "His name is Mar. If you say no, I'll tell him to make you drink that. And I can assure you that he isn't gentle with earth dragons, since he killed the earth guardian." Sierra's eyes grew wide, at one of them appeared tear, as she understood, who was Sexto talking about.  
"Did you kill my dad?" She asked with disbelief. Mar just nodded. "You monster! How dare you?!" She tried to get wyvern, but chain was much too short. The water user grinned and then, small earth bullet hit him right in his face.  
"Easy kid." Sexto said that words with such overwhelming strength that dragoness stopped moving and turned her head to him. "Do we have a deal?" He asked. The dragoness nodded slowly.  
"But at first..." Sierra whispered. Her eyes were wet from tears. "First take that off." She pleased, showing the chain. Brute nodded and did as he was asked to do. Then he opened bottle of elixir and gave it dragoness. Sierra took it in paw and stood still. She knew what to do. She raised her paw slowly and then, threw it to wyvern. It crushed at Brute's eyes blinding him for several seconds. The wyvern hissed painfully. Meanwhile, Sierra had already turned around and was running away. She was about to leave cave, when she felt that somebody caught her tail. Next thing she remembered was paralyzing pain. When she opened eyes, she was laying on her back. Mar held her torso and head, covering one of eyes. Then she felt that near her head, there started gathering water. She stuck her talons in Mar's paw painfully, but he didn't drop her. Brute, who could see normally already,turned to his partner.  
"What are you doing, Mar?" He asked with surprise.  
"Wondering, if should I kill her." Mar smiled insolently. Sexto hissed angrily. His eyes were glowing with hatred. "How about we make a deal?" The water user suggested, using Sexto's favorite quote.  
"You damn..." Brute watched his partner hatefully.  
"So that'sthe deal." Mar pointed two carbuncles lying at the table behind Sexto where he had left those behind. "I'll give you her life and you'll give me your rank."  
"What?! No way!" Brute tried to take one of bombs from his bag, when Mar stopped him with meaningful gesture of paw.  
"One reckless move more and she'll die. So what will you do, Brute?" Mar started talking to Brute with contempt. "Will you let your almost-daughter die? Will your sacrifice her life just not to become Octava?" The blue wyvern smiled devilishly. Brute was confused, what to do, until he watched Sierra and her scared eyes.  
"Fine." He took his paw from bag without taking bomb. "But I swear I'll retrieve this title one day."  
"Maybe." Mar smiled pitifully to him. "But for now, you are eighth and I'm Sexto Vengantimo."

From Tremor's battle had passed already a week. Whole that time, Candice spent in the hospital, sitting before the door to the surgery room, where was laying Tremor. The earth guardian was being healed simultaneously by five medics for all that time. They were being replaced after about one and half day, but Ivory spent there whole week without pauses for even eating or sleeping. Candice hated that waiting. She was in state of mood swing, one day believing, her mate would be fine, and moment later completely despaired. And then, after a week, door opened once more. The ice guardian watched it, expecting to see one of medic leaving to be replaced by another one. But she saw Ivory. Her eyes, wet from tears, were almost completely lacking any magical light, she was so exhausted that she could collapse any second. Candice stood up rapidly and watched her fearfully.  
"Is Tremor..."  
"He's alive." Ivory assured her. "Still." She finished, as if not believing her own words. The medic walked to her friend with shaky walk and leaned against the wall, or rather fell down on the floor.  
"What's wrong?" Candice asked. She had really bad feelings.  
"He isn't alive because of me or any of medics, but just his will to live." Ivory started explaining. "We're giving our bests, but this, what that Vengantimo did with his lung and shoulder... Not speaking of plenty of problems about his heart. Once, it stopped for three minutes. Whole three minutes!" Ivory hung her head sadly, from her eye dripped tear. "It's miracle that's he's still alive. I've never seen anyone, who would live on with such wounds and loss of blood. Only his will is keeping him alive, but it has its limits. Maybe one day more, maybe two..." Simple tear left her eye. "I'm terrible medic."  
"You're not." Candice tried to cheer her up. "You saved so many dragons that..."  
"I couldn't save my father, neither... Flush." Her voice trailed off, as she barely stopped tears. "And now Tremor! I can't even save those, who I care about!" She shouted, mad at herself. "Why?! Why am I feared by city elders, why am I called the best medic in whole city, why everyone keeps repeating me that I have a gift, when I can't even save those, who I love at most?! What is my power for? To slaughter in act of vengeance?" She started asking, trying to find answers to those questions. She couldn't stop tears already. "I'm just pathetic substitute of the dragon. I... I can't do anything."  
"Don't do it. Don't lose your hope." Candice said.  
"And how can I believe that I'll heal Tremor?" Ivory asked, desperately seeking for consolation.  
"Because in the whole world, you are the only dragon, who can heal him. We all believe in you, because we know, you can do it." Candice smiled warmly. "I believe in you." The guardian assured her. Then, in Ivory's appeared small azure light.  
"I...I can do that." The white dragoness grinned. "I will do that." Then, she hugged Candice. "Thank you." Ivory felt power filling her body. Since her powers were basing on her feelings, words of encouragement were exactly what she needed.  
"So, you should rest a little at first and then..." Candice suggested.  
"No, I'm going right now." Ivory refused. She stood up, but then she would collapse, if Candice didn't catch her in time. "Alright, wake me up in three hours." Ivory admitted reluctantly and laid on the ground. "Give me a week and I'll heal Tremor. I promise." Ivory whispered.  
"Does you power have any limits?" Candice asked with disbelief.  
"Of course, it does, when I'm done, I will sleep several days and I won't be able to use magic for some time." Ivory explained.  
"Sleep well, then." Right after Candice said those words, her friend fell asleep. The ice guardian watched herwith impress. After whole week ofcontinuous healing, she needed just three hours to regain whole her strength and still would be able to heal for another week. Ivory would never cease to surprise her.

Tundra was crushed like never before. Her sister was kidnapped and she had no idea, if her father would make it. All ten daysthat passed from the battle, she spent wandering in city pointlessly or waiting and even sleeping in hospital hoping to see her father. For whole that time, Amy and Frost didn't leave her for even a moment. They tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked. All that bad happenings were simply too overwhelmingly crushing for Tundra.  
"Tundra?" Amy called her friend.  
"Huh?" Tundra didn't even turn her head, she was lost in amount of her thoughts.  
"How about we sit somewhere for a moment? My legs ache already."  
"You don't have to follow me." Tundra replied silently.  
"You should rest, Tundra. I have no idea, how's that possible that you still have strength to walk." Frost smiled in specific way. Both her friends knew that it didn't mean joy, but it was her method to fight against grief.  
"Let's go to the garden." Tundra suggested. Amy and Frost agreed with her. Three dragons were walking in silence. They sat and started watching red fishes slowly swimming in small pond.  
"You know, Tundra..." Frost started conversation. "Your parents are very lucky. Mrs. Ivory will surely heal your dad. I heard that she can do real miracles."  
"Yeah, she's not going to give up. She'll do her best." The small lightning dragoness confirmed her brother's words.  
"Thank you." Tundra was on the verge of cry. "I don't know what I would do without you." She hugged two dragons, who were sitting at both her sides.  
"Hey, hey, Tundra, calm down. I'm trying to breath." Frost pointed his neck strongly held by Tundra. All three of them laughed and ice dragoness dropped her friends.  
"Sorry for that." She apologized.  
"No problem. You finally smiled joyfully." Frost noticed.  
"Yeah, we haven't seen your happy face for much too long." Amy confirmed. Then some idea appeared in Tundra's head. Thing, which she was always wondering about, but never asked about that.  
"How's that possible that you're blue ice dragon, when neither of your parents have that color of scales or element?" That question completely surprised blue dragon.  
"Well..." He tried to find in his head any explanation. Amy understood that he didn't know what to say, so she interrupted.  
"Dad told us that it happens not often, but some dragons inherit their element after grandparents and both our grandfathers are ice dragons."  
"Oh. I've never heard about something like that." Tundra said.  
"Yeah, I also was surprised, when I heard that." This time Frost was the one to say that. Then Tundra watched them with strange sight.  
"What?" Both twins asked simultaneously.  
"For whole month we know each other, I haven't noticed situation, when you disagreed with Frost." Tundra explained.  
"Well, yeah...we almost always think this same way." Amy said.  
"And we never argue." Frost added, finishing his sister's sentence. "And how is it about you?"  
"Even if sometimes me and Sierra disagree..." Tundra felt very sad, when she said her sister's name, but she continued sentence. "...we never had serious quarrel." She really missed Sierra and hated every day of separation. Frost perfectly read through her thoughts.  
"Don't worry, your parents will get Sierra back."  
"You don't know that."  
"Yes, I do." He replied. Tundra watched carefully Frost. There was something in his face expression that was giving her hope that the blue dragon was right.  
"Let's hope so." Tundra said, rather to herself than them.

In the middle of mysterious forest, right before Tremor, there was staying the earth dragoness. He recognized her at the first second, he saw her face. How could he have not recognized his twin sister, after all?  
"Long time no see, brother." Gaia greeted him. Tremor felt, as if all his limbs were paralyzed. Tear slowly dripped down his cheek.  
"Gaia? How's that..." His sister interrupted hug and stood in front of him.  
"Let's go. There's somebody, you have to see." Tremor couldn't say if she was happy or sad to see him.  
"But where? Who?" The earth guardian asked.  
"I'll show you. Just follow me." Two dragons jumped in air. Tremor was watching Gaia carefully. He was wondering, how was thatpossible that he was completely unharmed and Gaia was flying right next to him. To understand that there was only one answer, it took him just a moment. But to ask the question that had to be said sooner or later, he was waiting much longer.  
"Gaia?" Thegreen dragoness jerked her head at her brother.  
"What's on your mind?" Though she knew it, she asked.  
"Am I...dead?" Tremor asked. Gaia smiled sadly.  
"Isn't that obvious?" She asked earth guardian hung his head sadly.  
"It is. I just... wanted to make sure that I didn't misunderstand whole that situation." The guardian explained. His sister watched him carefully. He seemed to be crushed.  
"Look, here we are." She said. Tremor raised his sight to see small bonfire and two dragons sitting close to it. They were turned to him with their backs, so they couldn't see him, but from color of their scales, he guessed that one of them was lightning dragoness and another earth dragon. Gaia landed several meters from them and called them.  
"Mom, dad, look, who I brought." Two old dragons turned around. Tremor couldn't believe his ears and eyes.  
"Mom? Dad?" He asked slowly. Old dragons smiled and nodded. The earth guardian ran to his parents and hugged them. His parents greeted him both happy and sad from that meeting. Gaia watched her brother with smile.  
"I'm so happy that we can finally meet. Well, I'd prefer other circumstances, but we have to take, what life gives." Tremor said. His father nodded, admitting. "Life, dear ancestors..." The earth guardian shook his head with disbelief, as he realized his misspelling.  
"True." The old dragon glanced at his son with curiosity. "So, how was your life? All we know, we heard from Gaia." He asked. Then, Tremor and his twin sister sat between their parents. The earth guardian started story of his life. At first, he said about first meeting with Malefor and how he shielded Candice with his own body in time of her fight against dark Spyro. Next, he explained, what happened at Dante's Freezer, his confession and ice guardian's reaction. Gaia watched him with disbelief.  
"I know that I asked you to be nicer towards her, but that?" She couldn't believe that. Tremor laughed.  
"At first, I couldn't believe it for myself, but at the night after your funeral, I realized how beautiful her eyes were, whenever she liked that or not." He explained.  
"She liked that from the very beginning, didn't she?" Tremor's mother guessed.  
"Well, that's quite risky assumption." The guardian replied. All He and his sister laughed silently. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you, Gaia, because this all happened just because of you." The green dragoness smiled.  
"All the pleasure is mine." She smiled warmly.  
"Trust me, sis, not all." Tremor assured her. His parents smiled to each other, watching their son. They were really happy that their son didn't lose his sense of humor at all.  
"Alright, Tremor, continue, we all want to know, what was later." Gaia pleased with impatience. Tremor nodded and continued his story. He said about his fight against Liun and how he met wolf who had almost killed him. When he explained what happened right after that, he noticed slight smile at his sister's lips. Later, he told them about his first fight with Snarl and how his mate stopped him from avenging Gaia. Next thing was volcano, where, to save his friends, he almost died.  
"Tremor?" Guardian's mother interrupted him. "I'm so proud of you. Not many dragons would be ready for such sacrifice."  
"Like yours." Tremor noticed. His mother nodded.  
"Like ours." She agreed, though she did it quite reluctantly. The earth guardian continued his story. He explained how they all were captured and how he killed Snarl. Later, he said, how had finished battle in Cynder's old fortress. After that, he said about all happenings in Certona. He finished quickly his story of defeating Malefor by last fight, his and Spyro's death and their miraculous resurrection. Then, there were ten years of peaceful and quiet life, duties of guardian and Tundra and Sierra's birth. And then, it was time for Venganza's attack at Warfang. He told them, how he was poisoned and healed and later came to his home city and met Douten. Next thing he said was about his and his family's visit in Candice's home city, looking for Vengantimos, Flush, Ivory and the last battle. At the end of story, which took him about at least several hours, he noticed tears in his mother's eyes.  
"You had a good life, son." After several seconds of silence, Tremor's father spoke.  
"I'm really proud of you." His mother watched him with pride. Gaia smiled to his brother.  
"To die to protect your own daughter. You really grew up." She admitted. Tremor nodded.  
"Yeah, my life was good, but...too short. There still are so many things to show, to give, to see, to do..." The earth dragon watched sparkles jumping above fire. In his eye appeared tear. "I wanted to see my daughters growing up and finishing academy. I wanted to meet their mates. I wanted to hug my grandchildren." He raised his sight at parents and stars above him. "I finally know how you're feeling with such a loss." The earth guardian felt, as if he was going to cry. Whole his family watched him with helplessness, they knew that nothing they couldsay would cheer him Tremor felt that something changed in him. For several second, his vision blurred, he heard strange noise and his body became almost transparent. His eyes grew wide.  
"Wh...What is that?" He looked with scared eyes at Gaia, who just smiled.  
"Looks like there's still hope for you." Her parents quickly understood situation, but the earth guardian had no idea, what was going on.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You didn't fully die, just paid us a visit. I've heard of such happenings." Tremor's father watched his surprised son. "It seems like you were between life and death for longer. Until now you were closer to death and now, you'll live." His father explained.  
"Oh, so that's how it works." Tremor said sadly. Though he was happy from that news, he didn't want to leave his family yet.  
"No worries, son." His father cheered him up. "Sooner or later, we'll meet once more and now, Candice needs you. Go there and save your daughter." Tremor stood at attention and bobbed his head once confidently.  
"I will. I won't fail them anymore. Never." The earth guardianpromised.  
"Tremor?" Gaia called her brother. "You and Douten should bury the hatchet. Prove him that whole his babbling about sign of the past is false." Tremor nodded and promised to do so. He hugged his parents and sister for last time and felt that his soul was about to fly away.  
"Mom, dad, Gaia, goodbye." He said.  
"Goodbye." His parents watched at their son with pride.  
"Brother, remember that when you need my help, just listen to the voice of earth." She said.  
"Seems like you're not going to leave my side, huh?" Tremor asked. Gaia grinned at her brother and hugged him last time.  
"Don't count on this. Good luck." Gaia bided her brother goodbye. Tremor closed his eyes and his soul flew to the stars. He felt sudden burden of his body and intensive pain inhis left shoulder. He heard female voice. It sounded familiar, but he had such a headache, he couldn't recognize it. Tremor cracked one of eyes and noticed Candice, who was staying at his side, glaring in his eyes. She looked as if she had been was crying for last week, which was most likely true, but now, she was smiling.  
"Surprise, sweety." Tremor grinned in a silly way.  
"Welcome back to our world, Tremor." Candice whispered.


	34. Promise

Chapter 34. "Promise"

Tremor was strong enough to stand up at the next morning and he wasn't going to waste that. He, Candice and Tundra were sitting in some park in the of city together and enjoying view of sunrise. The ice guardian was watching her mate cheerfully. She felt her heart leaping from joy when she thought how close to death he was this time and yet, he was standing right next to her. Tremor moved softly and hissed in terrible pain. His shoulder still hurt, if he moved it too rapidly.  
"I thought that you were really going to die this time." Candice confessed.  
"You're not going to get rid of me so easily, sweety." Tremor assured her. The ice dragoness smiled with pleasure, as her mate nuzzled her.  
"Why didn't you run away? You could run away and you knew that Mar was too strong for you. Sometimes I feel that you're such a pebble-brain." The ice guardian sighed deeply.  
"And sometimes I feel like you were such pain in the tail with whole that talking what moron I am. It's like you sat down, watched my butt kicked and later ask, why my fight went so bad." Tremor replied. Candice gave him annoyed sight. "Anyway, you know me. Though I don't have chance, I fight further." Tundra glanced with surprise at her parents.  
"Why do you show your love so strangely? The most of couples just sit around and repeat I love you, I love you." Tremor and Candice laughed, as young dragoness parodied movement and gesture of dragons in love. "And you two say each other, how annoying or pebble-brain you are. That's quite...odd." Tundra noticed. Tremor nodded.  
"You are right, but that is love, Tundra. Love is patient and is kind. It never fails and endures all things." Tremor watched her daughter, who seemed to don't understand anything.  
"So?" Young ice dragoness glared at her father curiously and waited for explanation. Candice laughed as she glared at her mate, who hung his head sadly and sighed deeply.  
"Seems like our little daughter brought you down to the earth, huh, sweety? Don't you think it's your place?" The ice guardian asked with amusement. Tremor had no idea whether to laugh or cry. After several seconds, he chose the goal number one, as slight smile danced on his lips.  
"Yep, you have gift to ruin atmosphere, Tundra." He gave his daughter wet kiss at cheek.  
"You're doing this even better than kissing Zap by surprise." Candice added.  
"Daddy, could you explain, what did you say about love?" Tundra pleased.  
"Your father said that I and he will forgive each other everything and our feeling will never pass." Candice explained.  
"Is that love?" The young dragoness asked.  
"Not only, there are many more aspects, which are impossible to explain. But this is one of the most important ones." Candice agreed. Then Tremor started laughing loudly. The ice guardian turned her head with surprise. "What?" The earth dragon smirked to his mate.  
"Oh, how ironic is it to hear that words from you." Tremor kept laughing and white dragoness gave him annoyed sight.  
"And what exactly you mean?" She asked, crestfallen.  
"You say words like that, when in Certona you almost split up with me, because I wanted to give up on being guardian." Tremor explained. Then, they heard loud laugh. All three dragons turned their heads to see Ivory, who landed right behind them. The medic tried to control herself, but she simply couldn't stop laughing.  
"My, oh, my. I've never seen any couple that would argue so charmingly." She explained herself. Candice blushed a bit.  
"Well, yeah, we argue sometimes, but..."  
"Candice, are you trying to lie me?" Ivory placed dark talon on ice guardian's chest. "I'm sure that you and Tremor have conversation like that almost every day. And it's all, because your harshness causes that you're terrible about showing your feelings." Candice wanted to refuse, but she couldn't find words to explain herself. The ice guardian sighed deeply.  
"I... disagree." She refused. Losing to Ivory? No, Candice would never agree to that, even if both of them knew that she did.  
"Anyway, I have some news for you." Smile disappeared from medic's face. "Whole time since your battle I spent in the hospital, so I hadn't time to organize it, but we can't wait any longer." Tremor glared at white dragoness surprised.  
"Do you mean..." The earth guardian stopped speaking in half of sentence. Ivory nodded. From her eye started slowly swimming simple tear.  
"Today, right before the sunset, at the Azrael's field. Flush's... funeral." The white dragoness couldn't stop tears anymore. She started crying and hung her head, crushed with everything that happened. Candice hugged her and tried to cheer up whispering something to her ear. The earth guardian watched this all with growing grief. He lost whole family, he knew well, how Ivory felt. But the worst thing for him was that this all was his fault. That Flush didn't have to die.  
"Dad?" Tundra poked her father's side and lowered her voice. "Why is Mrs. Ivory crying every time she says about Mr. Flush?" She asked.  
"Because, that is second side of coin called love. When your beloved dies, your heart turns into pieces. And nothing, even time, can't heal broken heart." Tremor whispered.

Two hours after sunset, at the grass were sitting about twenty dragons: Ivory, Tremor, Candice, Tundra, Sylvia, Dusty, Amy, Frost, Flush's parents and his sister, sixteen years old ice dragoness called Tabi. There were also Candice and Ivory's parents and several other friends. At first, there were much more of them, but most of them had already flown back to the city. At left of those, who decided to stay, there was dense and dark already forest. Because of the strong wind, leaves were flying everywhere. Upon dragons' heads, there was sky, which in that dark night, was covered with black clouds. All eyes were watching the grave, with simple description:  
Flush  
Mate, son,  
brother, friend.  
There was also hanging the medallion in shape of hemisphere which used to belong to Flush. Next to it, there was another grave, it belonged to Flush's brother, Azrael. That was why Flush had chosen that place. All dragons were sitting in silence in front of two graves. Ivory felt that simple drop fell at her neck. After several seconds, there started heavy rain. No one even moved. After long time of silence, Dusty interrupted it.  
"Sometimes, when we lose precious for us person, even sky don't hide its tears. Even sky cries with us after that loss, after that emptiness, which appears in our minds and hearts." He said. Ivory slowly turned her head and smiled sadly. Like all of gathered, she didn't even try to hide tears.  
"Flush said that after my father's death." The white dragoness reminded herself.  
"Yes, that's exactly, what he said." Candice nodded confirming medic's words. Then everybody heard that something moved in forest. And again. As if there gathered quite a big crowd around the field. Tremor looked around a bit worried.  
"Candy? Could you tell me, what's going on?"  
"Those are feral dragons." Flush's father, who was the oldest dragon from all gathered there, explained. "Flush saved once two of those. I'm sure that they also wanted to farewell him."  
"Farewell?" Sylvia asked surprised. "How would they know about his death?" The old fire breather just smiled.  
"This forest is filled with mysteries, child."He explained. Then, they all heard two voices: male and female. Two dragons hidden in trees started singing silently. At first, there were no words, just melody. Melody filled with sadness and pain, those two surely had experienced those feelings. After about half minute, first words reached dragons' ears.

"I've just died, I know, what you're thinking.  
That you could stop whole that happening.  
Sacrifice of mine had to be done,  
To protect you, who I really love.  
I know, you saved my life not just once,  
But I couldn't risk your life more times.  
Don't cry, my lady, don't cry, please no.  
I had to make this journey alone.  
Don't cry, my lady, stop your tears fall.  
As all dragons, I heard it was my call.  
I have the only promise for you.  
Yet it's hard to understand for sure.  
That part of me in you will be alive,  
I will for everlasting survive.  
I will be for you there forever,  
At nights, at days, at every weather.  
I will be there not to let you cry,  
To always give you a reason to smile.  
So please, stop your waterfall of tears,  
And start watching world with hope, my miss."

It didn't sound like ordinary threnody, but rather the last words, which Flush wanted to say, though he wasn't given a chance. All gathered were listening the melody with whole their hearts and minds. No one made a move or said a word. Ivory smiled sadly, tears stopped flowing from her eyes. That song gave her peace of mind and solace that she really needed. As if music made her poor heart dance, as she heard Flush's words, bringing it relief, even if just for a moment. Then, in the air above trees jumped two feral dragons. Yellow female and red male were flying higher and higher making circles around each other. They were youngsters, twelve, maybe eleven years old. Then, they both dove and flew away. Candice watched two dragons, who sang that beautiful song. The ice guardian understood that its melody and words had real power hidden in themselves. It was Flush's message for Ivory. His farewell and promise. But she knew that there was something that Flush couldn't explain his mate with that song. And only dragon that knew about this, was she.  
"Everyone, I have something to tell you." The ice guardian interrupted silence and all dragons watched her with surprise. "I want to tell you, why Flush died." No one said a word, they simply didn't know, how to react. No one except Ivory.  
"Tell us then." The white dragoness pleased. Candice took deep breath and recalled story, which she found written down in Venganza's hideout. It was Brute's report to Primero.  
"Flush started gathering information about Venganza since their attack at Warfang. In short time, he found out surprising amount of information. But Primero knew that and decided to make detective his ally. First time, when Brute gave him offer and he said no, he almost got poisoned, but Tremor saved him. Venom wasn't deadly and that was only warning for him to change his mind. Second time, Vengnaza intended to kill him, but Flush was saved by Ivory. And at third, last time..." In eye of ice guardian appeared simple tear, impossible to notice by anyone because of rain. "You know, there was part of song, where there was no rhyme. I think that this mistake was made on purpose, to show, what the most important part was."The ice dragoness watched at all her friends, who still didn't know, what she meant. "The sacrifice of mine had to be done, to protect you, who I love." She quoted. "It was almost two weeks ago, when Flush met with Mar and Fuerzo, who brought him to that cave. Then, he stood in front of three Vengantimos and fourty other wyverns, who gave him choice. Or he would help them making ambush, or they would kill him and make ambush pointed at me and Tremor for themselves. Brute had it all perfectly planned. Even without Flush they could easily kill us, they only wanted to recruit Flush. And then, he gave them answer. He said that he was ready to die for Ivory, who would go with us. Brute told wyverns to finish him. Even, if he hadn't chance to win, Flush fought. And as Brute said, some unknown strength gave him power to fight, as if he didn't care about himself, only wanted to kill as many wyverns as he could. He wanted and succeeded in protecting not himself, but someone else." Candice finished her story and glared deeply in Ivory's eyes. "It was you." She said.  
"So this is, how Flush died." Tremor said and watched Ivory with tribute. "With your name at his lips, fighting even, if he stood no chance." Ivory smiled to herself sadly, somehow happy and yet, sorrowful.  
No one even noticed when those two feral dragons who sang the song sat with dragons and joined their conversation. They were brother and sister, Khezheekoni, called also Zheek, and Farady, just twelve and fourteen. The fire breather had not only characteristic name, but also horns. Those looked more like antlers, than dragon horns, since those were very wide and bizarre. He had snout similar to moose's in shape, which, together with ordinary for dragon teeth looked quite strange. His scales were dark red, or rather crimson, which perfectly fitted his brown underbelly and wing membranes. It appeared that though he could sing beautifully, while speaking, he lisped so badly that it simply couldn't be unnoticed. The lightning dragoness had shiny silver scales covering her belly and the rest of them were beautifully yellow. Though young, they were experienced, as they said, Flush had saved their life five years earlier. Dragons spent whole that telling stories about detective's life. What kind of dragon he was, what he did, where he was, why he did what he did. The sky, just like Ivory, cried for the whole night.

At the morning, the rain finally stopped. Ivory wasn't crying neither, but only because she had already ran out of tears. Tundra was sleeping already, tired with so long time without any rest. Two feral dragons had just flown back to their home. Almost all dragons had already come back to the city, only who left were Tremor, Candice, sleeping Tundra, Ivory and Flush's parents. The medic watched two feral dragons, who were farther every second, about to disappear beneath the line of trees. In her eyes was glowing weak, magical light. Though it seemed to be this same as always, it was somehow different, longing. Its specific light reminded Tremor longing after bond, which she lost.  
"So, what are you going to do?" Tremor asked, as he straightened his wings, ready for flight.  
"Well, we rest a bit and we start searching for Vengantimos and Sierra." Candice stated.  
"By we, you mean only you and Tremor?" Ivory guessed. Tremor nodded.  
"Yeah. We're not going to let anyone more die, just because we can't handle our problems for our own." He confirmed.  
"Alright, I'm not going to help you, if you don't want so." Ivory was disappointed with their decision, but she wasn't going to argue. "But, give me one promise. Kill Brute." She asked. In other circumstances, her blood would boil, as she would only think of that name, but now, she was to sorrowful for anger. Candice and Tremor nodded slowly.  
"I'll do it." The earth guardian promised. "I should have done this long time ago."  
"Thank you." Ivory whispered. "You know, what's the worst thing in this all?" Neither of guardians said a word. "I was ready to sacrifice my own life for him. I would do it without any hesitations. But I haven't been given a chance." Ivory let a tear fall. "I'm never given a chance. I can save dragon who's on the very verge of death, but once he crosses it... I'm helpless. And I always come a little too late." She went to her mate's grave and grasped the gold medallion hanging there. Then, Ivory understood that she would never more see that never-stopping to smile face, with horn cut in half and three long scars at throat. That she would never more hear neither his warm voice speaking "Ivy", or his contagious laughter. She'd never more feel touch of his lips, enjoy his loving hug, glare in his yellow eyes filled with hope for a better tomorrow. She'd never have loving mate and children, who she had been dreaming about for so many years. She finally understood that Flush was gone. Forever.


	35. Offer

Chapter 35. "Offer"

It was midday, only several hours after the morning when funeral came to the end. Tremor and Candice were sitting in Flush's house and arguing about something silently. The detective's house was seriously burnt, it would have most likely collapsed, if not Tremor's earth pillars holding it. They've chosen that place for their discussion for two reasons. Firstly, Candice really wanted to come there once more and try to save every remaining after Flush. Not for her, of course, but for detective's family. Especially, Ivory, who they've left at the field where was Flush's grave. As white dragoness had told them, she needed to be alone. Candice knew that she wouldn't be able to walk inside this house now, so she decided to do it. The second reason was that guardians wanted to be alone, just like Ivory. They didn't want to involve anyone. They'd decided not to risk any life other than their own. Tundra remained in Candice's parents' house, she was safe there for sure. Two mates were talking about their plans, thinking through battle strategies when they heard knocking at the door. Or at least this what remained from door, partly consumed by fire.  
"Please come in." Tremor said quite loudly, surprised that they had any visitors. The door opened and there could be heard some steps. Then, before two guardians stood young, only twelve years old fire breather.  
"Zheek? I thought that you've already left city." Tremor noticed, watching him curiously. Youngster chuckled silently.  
"Farady thinks so as well." He grinned. "But how can I help it? I'm free dragon, not bound by any city!" He explained, shrugging.  
"What brings you here?" Candice asked.  
"You'll look for Brute soon. I want to help you get him. I can't leave Flush's death just as if nothing had happened. I can help you deal with those wyverns." The free dragon, as he liked calling himself, offered.  
"No." Tremor and Candice disagreed simultaneously.  
"But..." The fire breather tried to argue.  
"You're too young to face them, that's firstly." Tremor explained. "You wouldn't be enemy for him and Mar, even if our two kept looking after you."  
"I can stand behind you, only support you." Zheek suggested. "I'd shoot some fireballs, it could help you win the fight."  
"And what if there was ambush just like they meant to do previously?" The earth guardian argued. "Only we two maybe would somehow make it, but if we had to protect you as well, it would be only harder."  
"I'm not weak, I can fight!" The fire breather refused. To both guardians it was obvious that he couldn't let this all go just like that, do nothing after Flush's death.  
"Don't misunderstand us. We don't say that you're weak, only that those Vengantimos are strong." Candice said sadly. "But first of all, it's not your fight. It never.." Her voice trembled a little." It never belonged to Flush either. Now, he's gone. And I won't stand watching another dragon dying in not his fight." The ice dragoness looked deeply into Zheek's eyes, as down her cheek, there flown tear. "Especially not such a kid, as you, with whole life before you." She finished and Tremor wiped out one of her tears. Zheek watched the couple aghast, not sure what to say.  
"I.. I understand." The free dragon stumbled. "I'll be going back to Farady. She must be worried about me." He decided.  
"Thank you for this offer, we appreciate it." Candice said smiling slightly.  
"I just did what I found right." Zheek explained himself. He was about to leave, Tremor called him.  
"Won't you and your sister consider remaining in the city?" He suggested. "Our gates are always wide open for every dragon. When whole this case in Venganza is done, we'll be waiting for you in Warfang, if you only want to come." Tremor said.  
"I and Farady still have something to do." Zheek said. "But once we deal with it..." He sighed deeply. "We will consider this." He agreed finally. "Goodbye, Tremor, Candice." He bided them goodbye.  
"Goodbye." Two guardians replied simultaneously. Several seconds later, young fire breather left.

Since the funeral, there passed three days. All guardians had to be back in the eastern in just two weeks, so they hadn't much time. Tremor and Candice were flying above the forest searching for another cave, where could be hidden two Vengantimos. The white dragoness was watching for any sign of anyone's presence, when the earth guardian was thinking about something intensively.  
"I hate it." Tremor whispered. Candice jerked her head curiously.  
"What do you mean?" She asked.  
"Funerals. I hate them." The earth guardian explained.  
"Feeling guilty?" Candice guessed easily.  
"Exactly." Tremor agreed. "Every time, I feel that they didn't have to die, that it all was my fault... I wish there were no more funerals in my life." He hung his head sadly. He felt terribly, all he wished for was being released from carrying that burden. Candice really wanted to say something, but she couldn't promise him something that she wouldn't be able to fill. Two guardians were flying in silence for several minutes.  
"Candy?" Tremor called her.  
"Yes, sweety?" She asked.  
"How did you save me? I thought that with those wounds of yours, you couldn't get to the city fast enough." Tremor watched his mate curiously.  
"Well, I lost conscious right after I thought, I lost you." Candice explained and smiled, watching his surprise. "Then, Tundra flew to the city and shown Ivory and other medics way to that battlefield."  
"So am I alive thanks for her?" Tremor asked with disbelief. The white dragoness smiled and laughed silently, as she saw his reaction. "Wow." That were only words, Tremor was able to say.  
"Guardian of the earth saved by five years old dragoness. How's your pride doing?" She asked.  
"Not so bad. I'm not Ray, I can bear fact that I was saved." Tremor riposted.  
"But still, surprised, aren't you?" Candice asked. The earth guardian nodded. That was, when he noticed something on the ground.  
"Look there!" He pointed with paw point in front of them. "The cave. And there are marks of talons." Tremor pointed beneath them. Candice watched place. Indeed, there was small entrance to the cave and at the trees surrounding it, there obviously were marks of talons. Two dragons landed in that place. The smell of wyverns was there very strong.  
"Finally, we found them." Tremor smiled with satisfaction.  
"Don't be so optimist, they could have left already." Candice noticed. Even, if she didn't show it, she was excited already, when she thought that they could be just about to find Sierra. Two dragons saw small entrance to the cave several meters from place, where they landed. They stood in front of it and stopped.  
"Are you ready?" Tremor turned his head at Candice. The white dragoness nodded slowly.  
"Let's do it." She said. Dragons slowly went to inside. It had only one, but very wide corridor. At its walls, there were hanging burning torches.  
"Candy? I know that Flush was somebody very important for you, I was finding him as friend as well, but please, don't let revenge control you." Tremor pleased.  
"I've promised that I'll never change, right?" She smiled to her mate, when they turned left. Then, they saw simple room at the end of the corridor. There were waiting two wyverns. It was obvious that they were expecting guests. Brute smiled, he wore belt with bag of bombs at his side.  
"Welcome, Candice, to our hideout. It took you quite long to find us, even, if we weren't moving at all for whole that time since our last meeting. Tell, who is your friend? I think we haven't met be..." The wyvern interrupted in half of sentence, as he recognized Tremor. His face expression changed rapidly from smile to disbelief. "No way." He said that words really slowly, filling those with anger. He hissed angrily. "I thought you've killed him, Mar." Brute said, as he glared at his partner with blaming sight. The blue wyvern watched the earth guardian with widely opened eyes and hoped it was just some illusion.  
"I...I thought so. I have no idea, how could he survive." Mar replied tersely.  
"Well, that makes two of us, Mar." Tremor smirked to Vengantimos.  
"How is that possible, Tremor?" The water user asked.  
"You have three guesses." The earth guardian replied. Then, Brute laughed aloud with amusement. "What's so funny, wyvern?" Tremor watched him angrily.  
"Your ignorance, Tremor. Despite this all, you live on. You can't understand that by surviving, you'll just cause more pain." The wyvern explained. Candice's eyes grew wide, as she understood what wyvern meant.  
"Tremor, don't listen to anything, he says." She warned her mate. Brute just laughed again.  
"Candice, he already knows that. Don't you, Tremor? You've already died ten years ago. But death couldn't take you, so it takes everyone around you." He smiled devilishly, as he watched deeply into guardian's eyes. "At first, your parents. Then, your poor sister dying in front of your eyes. Cynder, who fought at your side in Warfang, barely survived being poisoned. Your mate was almost killed by my brother. Flush, who became your friend, is dead already. There were many more dragons, whose deaths you caused. Don't you get it? Everyone, who's close enough to you, dies. And that's why, I'm giving you an offer." Tremor remained silent. The ice dragoness glared at him scared that something like that could work. "I'll kill you, Tremor. I'll let you join your parents, sister and friends to prevent more pain caused by your existence." The earth guardian glared at Brute coldly. Candice was sure that he was going to smirk in silly way, give amused sight and reply with some joke. He didn't say a word. With every second, excitement and uncertainty were growing. And then, Tremor answered.  
"Fine. Kill me then." The earth guardian said silently. Candice turned her head in surprise.  
"What?!" She tried to refuse, but Mar shot stream of water to the earth guardian. Candice barely managed it freeze it several centimeters from her mate's face. Tremor didn't even twitch. The blue wyvern jumped to guardians and shot another streams of water. The ice guardian slashed water user across his face shallowly and made him pull back a little, swinging with her talons madly. She turned her head at Tremor. She couldn't understand, why he lost whole his will to fight just like that. In his face expression was something that she had never seen before. It was surrender. "Even if you don't want to fight, I will. For Sierra, Tremor." She whispered and turned her head at Brute, when in front of her appeared small bomb. It exploded throwing her at the wall. Then Mar tried to stab her throat by talons, but she jerked head making him hit hard stone. The blue wyvern hissed with anger and swung his arm trying to slash her, meanwhile, narrowing at Tremor, who most likely didn't mean to move, overwhelmed with thousands thoughts. The dragoness jumped away and tried to fly, but the wyvern caught her paw by tail and threw her at another wall. Brute smiled devilishly. Vengantimo was about to throw her bomb, when he felt terrible pain at his arm, when his bone got broken and Tremor slashed his chest. Next, he hit surprised wyvern in his head with clubbed tail, sending enemy at the stone wall. Mar watched whole situation so surprised, he completely forgot about Candice, who shot at him the ice spike. The wyvern dodged it just in time, the ice bullet only scratched his neck. He jumped in the air to the earth guardian and shot water, but Tremor avoided it easily. Then, water user's leg was pierced by ice, so wyvern turned his head to the white dragoness involuntarily, ready to block Candice's another blow. Meanwhile, Tremor slammed his chest with tail, throwing wyvern hardly on the ground. The earth guardian landed next to his mate and smirked to her.  
"Nice job. That was perfect decoy." He congratulated. Then Candice slapped him in face leaving him three little scratches at his cheek.  
"Decoy? That's all, what you've got to say after what you've done?!" She was mad at him.  
"You knew it was just bluff." He said, absolutely convinced about his words.  
"You played it so realistically that for moment even I wasn't sure about that." She refused. Tremor hugged her gently in apologize. Candice didn't even try to stop him, even if she would most likely shout at him. Tremor kissed her cheek and smiled.  
"I'm sorry, Candy." He apologized.  
"I'll talk with you about it." She replied ominously. The earth guardian laughed nervously. He knew it was bad sign for him. Meanwhile, both wyverns stood up from the ground. Brute cursed loudly, as he tried to stand up at his broken arm. Mar wasn't in much better state, thought. For several seconds, whole his view was completely blurred. When he noticed, what his situation was, he quickly jumped back to his partner.  
"What's the plan, Brute?" Asked wyvern gave Mar annoyed sight.  
"Since you're Sexto, you should plan this." Brute replied.  
"Alright, I take Tremor, you Candice, just like last time." Mar decided. Wyverns jumped to two dragons, Mar at front, Brute watching his back. The earth guardian flew above water user and landed between Vengantimos trying to slash Brute's face, but wyvern leaned back just in time. Mar shot water to both dragons, Candice froze it and dodged easily, but her mate couldn't see blow, which wounded his left shoulder, causing terrible wave of pain. Tremor jumped away from Brute in the very last moment, barely avoiding having his throat pierced by his talons. Meanwhile, Mar was dodging ice dragoness's attacks. The blue dragon took deep breath. "Onda!" Great amount of water blasted Candice and smashed at stone wall.  
"Don't use attacks like that here, or you'll kill us all, idiot!" Brute shouted mad at his partner's recklessness. Candice shot several ice spikes, but the blue wyvern dodged them without any problem. He straightened arm in intend to stab her, but Candice stepped back, caught enemy's paw at jaws and threw him at wall slashing his torso meanwhile. Mar charged water in his second fist and shot it in dragoness's face. To dodge, she dropped him and jumped back. She narrowed at her mate for a second. Tremor noticed that and grinned to her in a silly way, while dodging bomb. Tremor shot the earth bullet in Brute's chest throwing him on the ground. The wyvern threw another explosive to the earth dragon, but Tremor bounced it by tail to Mar. The blue wyvern noticed small black bomb appearing in front of his eyes when it was definitely too late. Big explosion sent Vengantimo at the wall, wounding him seriously. Candice flew to the enemy, who withdrawn quickly. All scales at his face and chest were burnt.  
"Thanks." The ice guardian said, while flying next to Tremor. He just grinned.  
"All pleasure is mine, Candy." He bowed right after she passed by him and because of that barely managed to dodge another Brute's attack from above, which almost decapitated dragon. The blue wyvern watched whole situation with contempt.  
"That moron will lose his head for stupidity like that in the middle of battle." Mar watched Candice. "I can't believe that any dragoness fell in love in such an idiot." The ice dragoness hissed angrily and shot several ice spikes, but wyvern jumped above them. "Don't you think that your fighting style should be colder? As cold as you are to your mate?" He smirked.  
"Shut up!" The ice guardian tried to slash Mar, but he blocked blow and hit her at side of head with clubbed tail making her fall. That was strong punch, as for Candice, at least. In her mind appeared thought that Tremor wouldn't most likely even react for it. But her head hurt terribly and vision blurred for a moment.  
"If you meet him, I'm sure that Icey will give you first-hand lesson, why you're supposed not to show your feelings." The blue wyvern watched Candice carefully. "But now, I'm planning to kill you, so you won't have chance to even see him." He charged water in his mouth and shot it right in her face. Candice took deep breath and froze enemy's element creating long pillar of ice, which one of ends she caught with paws and another was in Vengantimo's jaws.  
"Kill me?" She gave wyvern annoyed sight. Mar's eyes grew wide, as he realized that he couldn't dodge that blow. "Fool." She pushed the ice pillar. The blue wyvern didn't even squeak, as ice pierced through his head. He fell on the ground dead.  
At this same moment, Tremor dodged Brute's paw, which scratched his cheek and stuck into wall. The earth guardian hit his forearm strongly breaking it and shot right in his face an earth bullet. Vengantimo fell on the ground hardly several meters from dragons. Both his arms were useless, head and chest burnt with pain. There was no chance, he could win. The wyvern turned around and straightened wings. He tried to bounce from the ground and start flying, but he felt that his feet were attached to the ground. He watched down to see, that he was frozen to the rock under his feet. Then, he felt terrible pain, as he was hit at back by Tremor with whole dragon's strength. Ice cracked and Brute crushed at wall. He fell on the ground hardly. Candice touched his throat with claws. Next to her stood Tremor. Their eyes were glowing with hatred to wyvern.  
"How about offer, Candice, Tremor?" Brute asked. The earth guardian hissed angrily.  
"And what, if say no?" All that Tremor wanted was to kill that wyvern.  
"Then you'll never find little Sierra." Brute replied. Candice watched smiling wyvern with contempt.  
"You heartless..." She hissed.  
"I just want to live." Brute groaned, as he tried to move his broken arm. "Deal is obvious. I'll show you the way to Sierra and you'll let me go away." Vengantimo offered and Tremor watched his mate. They both nodded without any doubts.  
"Lead us to her." Neither of dragons liked it, but they knew there was no other choice.

In front, there was a wyvern, flying right above ground, right behind him walked two dragons. They went into the dark cave.  
"If you'll try anything, Brute..." Tremor warned him.  
"Fine, fine, I want to live, right?" Vengantimo leaded them to room at the end of cave. At first, vision of all three blurred because of sudden light of torches. Then, they saw small cage, inside of which, there was sleeping young dragoness. Next to her were laying bowl with water. Two guardians smiled with relief. She was alive.  
"Can I go now?" The wyvern watched them coldly. He tried to not show feelings, which started filling his heart.  
"Yeah." Tremor answered and Vengantimo disappeared in shadows of cave. Meanwhile, Candice was slashing through wooden grating of cage.  
"Sierra?" She asked. The youngster cracked one of eyes and saw her mother.  
"Mom!" She jumped to her mother and hugged her. Meanwhile, next to her stood her father.  
"Hi there, sweety." He smiled to his daughter and nuzzled her. "I love you." He whispered.  
"Daddy!" Small white dragoness couldn't believe her eyes. She was so happy to see them both alive. She had been terribly scared until then, but finally she knew that everything was fine.

Brute left cave and started flying in direction of main Venganza's hideout. When he decided, that he's far away from city enough, he landed. Wyvern watched his gauntlet, or rather, this, what remained from his gauntlet after fight against Candice. Part of it, which used to shield his paw, was taken off, just like half of metal protecting his forearm. At smooth ring that survived, there were eight carbuncles. Six of them, were creating circle and inside of it were two another, which he got from Mar after becoming Octava. Brute swung his arm and caught both new gems by jaws. Then, he torn them off from gauntlet and spited away on the ground. From his eyes dropped couple tears. "I'm Sexto again. But price... It wasn't worth of it at all." The wyvern didn't care about Mar's death. He sought for such a fate for his partner from the moment, when Mar stole his rank. Only thing that brought Sexto to tears was Sierra. "I lost you, kid." He raised his eyes to watch Teria. "But I'll bring you back. I'll kill your family and change you into the wyvern to remove your sign of past. You may don't understand it now, but someday, you'll thank me." The wyvern straightened his wings. "You'll thank me for removing your sign of past." He flew away from that cursed city. He failed not only Venganza, but also himself.


	36. Farewells

Chapter 36. "Farewells"

This same when Tremor and Candice were fighting against two Vengantimos, Spyro and Cynder decided that they should already go back to the eastern city. They really enjoyed staying in Leafen, but time passed quickly and they had already done there all that they could. There wasn't much time left and they didn't want to return to the eastern city at the very last moment.  
"So you're not going to change your mind?" Fervor asked with hope in his voice. The purple dragon smiled sadly.  
"Sorry, but duties are calling." He explained himself.  
"That's fine. I'm not going to stop you." Spyro and Cynder bowed slightly in front of Fervor and whole his family.  
"Goodbye. Thanks for everything, what you've done for us." Spyro said. Fervor smiled and also bowed slightly.  
"Have a safe journey. I'm very glad that you lived in our house. Spyro and Cynder, the ones who saved our world." Both dragons flushed gently with embarrassment. At this same moment Zealous, Zap and Torch were biding goodbye to youngsters Cena and Volk.  
"Well, all the pleasure is ours, Fervor." Cynder said. Old fire breather laughed silently.  
"I can assure you that not all belongs to you. By the way, when you're done with Venganza, maybe you visit us?" Fervor suggested.  
"If only we have time, we will. Well, Goodbye." Dragons said goodbye to their friends once more and started walking street leading to the city walls. All three youngsters were happy that they would finally meet Tundra and Sierra again.  
"Torch?" Zap called his friend.  
"What, Zap?" The fire breather asked.  
"You remember our bet, don't you?" The red dragon sighed deeply. Zealous laughed.  
"I want to see, how you're getting through that dodging room, Torch." The purple dragoness said.  
"Can't we forget about that bet?" Torch said with begging voice.  
"No way. If I lost, I would kiss Sierra and Tundra, so don't even try to back out."  
"Alright, I'll do it." Torch was mad at himself that he accepted that bet. Five dragons reached the city walls. Spyro watched hatchlings standing between him and Cynder.  
"Are you ready for journey?" All three nodded. "Good. Torch, Zap, get on my back. Zealous, you'll fly with mom."  
"Dad?" The purple dragoness glared at her father. "Can't I fly on my own?"  
"It's really long distance, honey. Later, if wind won't be too strong, you'll fly on your own some time, but rest of it, we'll carry your three." Spyro explained. Then, in front of them landed Angelo and Genesis, they both were breathing very fast, they had to fly quite long distance to find leaving dragons.  
"There you are." Angelo smiled with relief. "I thought that we wouldn't catch up with you."  
"Something happened?" Cynder asked with curiosity.  
"We decided that we're coming with to eastern city." Genesis noticed surprised faces of dragons, but ignored them. "You'll need our help with Venganza."  
"Well..." Cynder tried to say it without hurting vice-captains. "You saw Viento's level of skills. And he was only seventh of those wyverns. What, if you'll..." Genesis just smiled and the black dragoness interrupted in half of sentence.  
"We have to pay our debt of gratitude to Tremor. I know, we aren't as strong, as guardians, but we still may be helpful for you." The vice-captain explained.  
"But..." Cynder tried to argue.  
"Cyn, we'll fly to the eastern city, even if you refuse our help." Angelo gave Cynder confident sight. The black dragoness sighed deeply, trying to bear both her nickname and his stubbornness. She watched her mate, who nodded.  
"Cynder, I guess we won't persuade them to change their minds." Spyro noticed.  
"Alright then, you're coming with us." Cynder agreed. Both vice-captains smiled triumphantly. "But don't call me like that never more, right, Angelo?" The lightning dragon nodded. Seven dragons took flight and left Leafen, the city hidden in leaves.

Candice, Tremor and their daughters were staying before Candice's parents' house and knocked at the door. They waited for several seconds until they came. Neither of guardians said a word, but Candice's parents already understood what they planned.  
"You're leaving, aren't you?" Wintry guessed. The ice dragon sighed sadly.  
"I'm afraid, we have to do so." Candice confirmed with sorrowful note. Then, her parents hugged her.  
"Goodbye, my little daughter." Her mother whispered, trying to stop tears. Though she was ice dragoness, she appeared to be very sensitive.  
"Don't cry, mom, I'll come back soon." Candice noticed. Meanwhile, Wintry stood before his son-in-law.  
"So, it's time to say goodbye." Tremor stated. "It was pleasure to meet you, dad." That last word from earth guardian's lips sounded somehow strangely for him. Though he heard it every day, he didn't use it for so many years already.  
"It is." Wintry agreed. "Sierra, Tundra, come to your grandparents." Both youngsters hugged old ice dragons and Candice and Tremor watched them, smiling slightly. As all dragons said goodbye, they were about to leave. But then, Wintry called Tremor. The earth guardian stopped, turned at him and watched him curiously.  
"Watch out for Candice. We can't lose her again." The old ice dragon pleased.  
"Dad, as long, as my heart is beating, I'll protect her." Tremor promised.  
"Thank you. Goodbye... son." Wintry smiled slightly. He really believed in that young guardian.  
"Goodbye." Tremor said and ran to catch up with her mate. They had already bided goodbye to almost all Candice's friends, there remained only one. Ivory. When they stood before her new house and were about to knock the door, they heard loud noise of crushed wood. Tremor watched his mate with surprised sight, Candice just shrugged, as dumbstruck as he was. In the moment they entered, wardrobe staying next to them was crushed under pressure of magical power, covering all the newcomers in rain of wood splinters. At the floor, there were laying hundreds pieces of wood from the destroyed furniture. The house, which Ivory used to watch after with special care, as gift for her mate, was now one great mess. Ivory was staying with her back to the newcomers, she didn't notice them.  
"Why?!" Ivory asked herself, her voice was doubled with magic. It looked like she had already regained her quite big part of her power after healing Tremor. "Why am I always helpless? How cruel my fates have to be? To fill my dream, bring me the greatest happiness of my life and then, after just three days, take it away just like that?!" She released from her mouth magic, crushing shelf before her and turning her into thousands splinters. "I could have predicted, what was going to happen!" Neither of guardians could see the tear falling down her cheek. "Damn it!" She cursed loudly.  
"You couldn't know that." Candice refused. "No one could." Ivory jerked her head with surprise to see newcomers. Magical light, firstly glowing very intensively, quickly faded away, as Ivory controlled herself. She turned around to them.  
"But I should have done that. It was my duty. To protect him." Ivory refused. "Are you leaving Teria already?" She asked, changing subject of their conversation.  
"Yes, we wanted to say goodbye." Candice agreed.  
"No need to. I'm going with you." Ivory said and guardians watched her surprised. "No worries, I'll be fine." The white dragoness promised. Candice watched her carefully. In her face expression, there was ostensible sincerity and serenity, slight dishonest smile, only her sight was revealing Ivory's true feelings and plans. It seemed to be strong, confident, but besides, she had some unrevealed plans. But Candice knew what was it. And she wasn't going to let her commit suicide.  
"Well, then you're coming with us." Candice agreed.  
"Don't worry. I'll keep my promise." Tremor assured medic.  
"I don't doubt. But nothing keeps me here anymore. And also, when dragons come to Warfang, they'll surely need medics, right?"  
"You are moving out to Warfang?" Tremor asked. Ivory nodded.  
"Yeah, I want to change my life." She explained.  
"I'm happy that you're getting better after everything that happened." Tremor said, not seeing through the mask, which the white dragoness was wearing. Ivory smiled slightly with hidden irony. "And, speaking of Brute…" She started sadly.  
"Sorry. Next time, he won't escape." The earth guardian apologized.  
"I understand. If I were you, I'd do exactly this same." The white dragoness said. "So, let's go." They all left house and jumped in the air. Ivory was flying in front of them, not letting her friends to see her tears. But Candice knew her too well to miss those.

At the night, all five dragons were sitting at the fireplace and eating deer hunted by Tremor. They weren't hurrying with coming back to earth guardian's home city, because they still had a lot of time. Since attack at Warfang, it was one of those several moments, when Tremor was sure that nothing threatened to his friends and family. He hugged Candice gently and watched fire dancing in front of him.  
"I love peaceful moments like this." He whispered. His mate nodded slowly, agreeing.  
"Yeah, I've missed them lastly." Before their legs, there were laying Sierra and Tundra and oppositely to them was sleeping Ivory. "I'm still mad at you for what you've done when we faced Brute." Candice said. "Not just accepting that offer, even behaving, as if you did..."  
"We won." Tremor interrupted her.  
"Mar had almost killed you." The only thing stopping the ice guardian from shouting were sleeping companions. "If I didn't block his blow just in time, you'd be dead by now."  
"But you blocked it." The earth dragon smiled and nuzzled her gently. To his surprise, his mate didn't oppose and even smiled slightly. "I knew that you'd do it in time."  
"How could you know it? Even I didn't." Candice noticed.  
"If we were in opposite situation, would you be sure that I'd protect you?" Tremor asked. The ice guardian sighed deeply and shook her head with disbelief closing her eyes.  
"I would." She confirmed and felt her cheek being kissed.  
"And that's exactly how it works." Tremor whispered. He'd never do such a thing, if he hadn't his mate on his side. In the whole world, there didn't exist dragon that he would trust him more than her. And there neither existed any dragon that would trust Tremor than Candice. Two mates were looking deeply into each other's eyes. Then, Ivory stumbled something in sleep and both guardians turned their sights at her.  
"I'm wondering, how Ivory is feeling." Candice watched her friend pitifully.  
"I think she's getting better, Candy." Tremor said and yawned deeply.  
"You're so naïve, pebble-brain. You have no idea, how perfectly Ivory hides her feelings, if she wants." Candice watched sadly at medic. "I'm scared about her. She wasn't so crushed even when her father died." The ice guardian finished her sentence quietly. She perfectly understood how Ivory felt like, not once she thought that Tremor was really dead.  
"I wish there could be something to cheer her up." Tremor said.  
"You know it best that some wounds will never cicatrize, no matter, how really we wish for it." Candice said. The earth guardian nodded.  
"But someday... She'll be fine, won't she?" Tremor asked.  
"No idea. In such a state, Ivory is unpredictable. I expect her to be very impulsive; she'll most likely have terrible moody swings, even worse than those after her father's death. And she'll be releasing her magic uncontrollably sometimes, like today in her house." She warned her mate.  
"Can she lose control like after discovering Flush's death?" Tremor asked, worried more about Ivory than himself, though he perfectly knew that not counting Brute, he'd be first to be blamed for Flush's death. After all, he was still blaming himself.  
"No, in that cave... I've never seen her in such a state. I doubt, if it's something that can repeat. It will be much weaker." The ice guardian explained. Then, Tremor turned his head and watched forest behind him suspiciously.  
"What happened?" Candice jerked her head curiously to watch this same place, as him.  
"Somebody's coming here." Tremor stated. Both guardians prepared for possible fight. Then, from shadows appeared Spyro and Cynder. At their backs, there were sleeping three youngsters. After several seconds, they saw also Angelo and Genesis right behind them.  
"Spyro? Cynder? What are you doing here?" Candice watched newcomers with surprise. Spyro and Cynder took sleeping hatchlings from their back and put them gently on the ground, next they sat down next to guardians.  
"This same, as you. We're coming back to the eastern city." Spyro said. Meanwhile, Tremor was watching two vice-captains carefully.  
"I'm sure that I met you somewhere." He noticed. Angelo laughed.  
"Yeah, we are those two dragons, who you saved at your visit in the city hidden in leaves." The lightning vice-captain explained. Tremor glared at him with disbelief.  
"Angelo and Genesis, sons of Fervor..." He said to himself. Two brothers nodded and sat oppositely to Spyro and Cynder. "You kind of grew up. How much time it passed? Eight years?" The earth guardian asked.  
"Nine. And everything has changed since then." Angelo grinned, as he and Genesis showed their armbands or vice-captains.  
"Congratulations, you filled your dreams quite quickly. I'm just wondering, what you will do for rest of life." Tremor noticed. All dragons laughed.  
"Don't worry, about us, we'll find something." Genesis assured the earth guardian. Then Cynder noticed Ivory sleeping close to fire.  
"And who is she?" The black dragoness asked.  
"Her name's Ivory. She's my friend from childhood." Candice said. "Well, she's with us on her own purpose, but it's not place, neither time to explain it." Spyro and Cynder nodded. It indeed was too late for stories like that, when all dragons were so sleepy that they barely remained conscious.  
"Angelo, Genesis, why are you here?" The earth guardian asked with curiosity.  
"It's best opportunity to repay our debt to you." Genesis explained.  
"You didn't have to do it, guys. You paid your debt helping Spyro and Cynder."  
"Well, I have to disagree." Angelo said. He was most likely the only dragon there, who wasn't sleepy at all. "Life for a life. It's matter of honor." He stated. Meanwhile, Genesis laid on the ground and fell asleep in several seconds.  
"You know..." Spyro watched all the company with sleepy sight. "I think I'll go sleeping too." Cynder yawned deeply and blinded several times trying to don't sleep, but she quickly understood that her effort was completely pointless.  
"Yeah, me too. Goodnight, everyone." She and her mate laid on the ground. Spyro covered Cynder with his wings and closed eyes to fall asleep quickly. Only Tremor, Candice and Angelo weren't sleeping yet.  
"You can go sleeping too, I'll stand guard. After all, this isn't safe forest." The earth guardian suggested them.  
"No way, Tremor." Angelo watched his friend with smile. "Sleep, I'm only still conscious enough person to notice anything in shadows." He argued. Candice turned her head.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, you both deserved for some sleep. Goodnight." He was persuading them so intensively that neither of guardians opposed.  
"Goodnight." Two guardians cuddled gently each other and, like rest of dragons, fell asleep quickly. Angelo watched whole camp and sighed deeply. He hated standing guard all alone. It was so boring, but he could do it for the guardians. Angelo watched two moons upon him.  
"It's going to be long, boring night." He whispered with disappointment.

The next day, dragons started flight at the midday, no one was hurrying up. When they continued flight, all youngsters were relating each other, how they spent time in Leafen and Teria.  
"Zap, tell about your bet!" Zealous asked her friend. Torch sighed deeply. He would prefer to don't hear about any bet, especially that one, for the rest of his life.  
"Alright." The lightning dragon was in much better mood. "Well, I and Torch had completely different opinion, how much time we would spend in that city, so we made bet. And Torch lost."  
"So what do you have to do, Torch?" Tundra asked with curiosity.  
"I have to go through dodging room three times." Torch muttered. Three young dragonesses laughed.  
"I can't wait to see that." Sierra smiled with pity to the fire breather. "And what would Zap to do, if he lost?" She asked curiously. Zealous giggled silently.  
"You'll be mad at Torch that he lost." The purple dragoness warned twins. "He had to kiss you both." Twin sisters looked at Torch disappointed.  
"What? Couldn't you win?" The white dragoness asked with pretension in her voice. Sierra looked, as if she was about to cry.  
"Don't worry." Zap smiled to them. "You'll surely make up all, what you've lost for the last month." The lightning dragon watched clouds above him and then, both twins kissed his cheeks by surprise. Torch laughed with amusement.  
"No doubts about that." The fire breather admitted, still laughing. Zap turned his head slowly and gave him electrifying sight, but Torch ignored it. Then, something exploded right above youngsters. All five watched sky above them. From big cloud of black smoke appeared two vice-captains flying quickly and avoiding each other's blows. Angelo smiled, as he dodged another fireball.  
"Is that all, what you've got, bro?!" Genesis smiled devilishly in reply.  
"That laxness of yours, for how long do you think you can keep it?" Genesis flew to his brother with the highest speed, he could. Two dragons hit each other's talons in duel of their strengths. Angelo tried to attack by second paw, but Genesis blocked blow and hit dragon's face with his head. Genesis flew back a bit and flew above another fireball, which flew above only half meter above Candice's head. The ice guardian gave two vice-captains annoyed sight, as she felt sudden warm right above her head.  
"Alright, that's enough." She whispered. Meanwhile, the lightning dragon flew above his brother, so Genesis couldn't watch him because of intensively shining sun. The fire breather barely noticed lightning. He rolled at side dodging it and flew to his brother. Two brothers were about to fight with claws again, when between them appeared Candice. She caught their necks and pushed them to each other, not letting them slow down at all. Two brothers crushed with their heads and shouted painfully. Genesis cursed loudly.  
"What was that for, Candy?" Angelo asked. He was holding his head and hissing with pain, exactly in this same way as Genesis. The ice dragoness watched them with anger. She was very mad and calling her Candy didn't help it at all.  
"It's not place to fight! Your breath attacks are flying everywhere; it's a matter of time to hurt someone! And don't call me Candy anymore!" Then she turned at Genesis. "And if you'll curse once more, when hatchlings are around..."  
"Alright, alright, I've got the point." The lightning dragon interrupted ice guardian's angry shout. "I'm sorry, Candy...ce" He added two last letters just in time. Candice turned around and joined back Tremor, Spyro, Cynder and Ivory. The black dragoness gave her pitiful sights.  
"You'll have to get used to Angelo's shortcuts." Cynder said.  
"How did he call you?" The ice guardian asked curiously.  
"Cyn." Cynder said reluctantly. Candice laughed.  
"That's ridiculous!" She turned her head at vice-captains. "I can't believe that so young dragons have been chosen to be vice-captains." Tremor jerked his head surprised, hearing his mate.  
"Don't forget that neither we were old, when we became guardians." He noticed.  
"Yeah, but our behavior was much more adult than their. I doubt that, for example, Spyro and Flame fought each other without any permission in the middle of some city. Am I wrong?" Candice asked rhetorically. Spyro smiled with embarrassment.  
"Well, actually..." He scratched his neck, not sure, how to tell it her. Candice sighed deeply.  
"You see?" Tremor asked his mate.  
"Alright, you won, you childish..." Candice admitted. All dragons laughed. Only Ivory remained silent. Cynder watched her with worried sight. Ivory said only several words in time of their journey. Cynder had a feeling that it was unusual for the white dragoness, she seemed to be rather talkative. Cynder flew closer to the medic.  
"Ivory?" She called her. The white dragoness turned her head. She was lost in thoughts.  
"Yes, Cynder?" Ivory asked with depressed voice.  
"Are you fine? You haven't said anything for hours." Cynder was worried about her. The white dragoness just smiled sadly.  
"I'm just wondering." She explained herself.  
"I see. But please, smile sometimes, Ivory. You seem to be not pensive, but crushed." The black dragoness noticed. She couldn't know that she hit point.  
"I'll be fine." Ivory replied, as she watched her paw. In its center, there was small red spot. Sign, which remained after using her exchange of lives on Flush several years earlier. "Why I couldn't save you?" She whispered.  
"Did you say something?" Cynder watched her curiously. She heard her mutter, but didn't recognize words.  
"Nothing. I'm just thinking loudly." Ivory beaten with her wings stronger and flew above the black dragoness. She needed to be alone.


	37. Forgivness

Chapter 37. "Forgivness"

Ember was woken up by knocking at the door. The pink dragoness cracked one of her eyes and muttered something with annoyance. It was just sunshine. "Who is coming so early?" She asked herself, watching his mate hopefully, but he was far away from being stood up reluctantly and yawned. Flame moved, as wave of cool reached his body, but he didn't wake up. Ember walked to the door, not hurrying at all. Anyone wanted to see her or Flame, if he came so early, he could wait. She opened door and felt that somebody hugged her.  
"Hi mom!" Torch greeted his mother grinning cheerfully.  
"Torch!"Ember watched him and Cynder staying right before her with surprise. "Cynder! You're back already?" She asked. The black dragoness nodded.  
"Yeah, Tremor and Candice are here too."  
"Flame!"The pink dragoness called her mate. "Come here!"  
"Huh?"The fire guardian already woke up because of excited voices of dragoness, but he wasn't going to stand up at all.  
"Torch's back!" Ember didn't have to repeat herself. Flame, as he heard that news, quickly stood up and ran to her. First thing he did, was hugging his son. Then, the fire guardian turned to Cynder.  
"Hi, Cynder. Please, come in."Flame suggested. Theblack dragoness shook her head.  
"I'm sorry, but I'm here just to give you back Torch and I'm going straight to bed. I'm completely exhausted after whole that visit in Leafen and travel. Kids were so excited to see their parents again that we were in quite a hurry..." Cynder yawned deeply.  
"Well, you spent quite much time there." Flame smirked. "I trust you weren't sightseeing all the time." The black dragoness smiled in reply.  
"No, just a little. We had real problem to find that Glimmer." Then, she noticed that Ember and Flame had several new, fresh scars. "Have you fought lately?" She asked curiously. Ember nodded.  
"Yeah, there was... incident. You had a fight too, didn't you?"The pink dragoness glared at long scar at Cynder's side.  
"Mhm."Cynder agreed. "Well, I'll be going now. Because of whole that travel, I'm feeling, as if I could spend whole day sleeping, which isn't very far from the truth, as I guess." Then, she yawned deeply, as if confirming her words.  
"See you soon." Ember and Flame said simultaneously.  
"See you." Cynder flew away. She had plan to spend whole day sleeping and no one was going to disturb her.

Tremor woke up after only two hours of rest. He simply couldn't sleep. He couldn't wait, when he had an opportunity to make it up with Douten and become friends again, just like old times. Candice was surprised at first that he wanted to do it immediately, but she understood reasons of that decision. He promised it to Gaia, after all. The earth guardian was walking street hastily. Then, he heard that someone landed next to him. He turned around to see Viola.  
"Tremor! Welcome back!" The ice dragoness greeted him cheerfully, so glad to see him again.  
"Viola!" They hugged in a friendly way. "How did you find me?" Tremor asked curiously.  
"By accident. I had no idea that you were back already." Viola explained. Tremor hissed with pain, as she put her paw at his left shoulder. "Oh, sorry." She quickly took her paw back. "Wow, you have a nasty wound here." Then she looked at guardian's chest. "And there, there... Dear ancestors, your chest! Did they pierce your lung?!" She asked with disbelief. Tremor just smiled and nodded slightly. "And your shoulder is..."  
"I've been through worse." The guardian belittled his wounds.  
"No doubts about that." The azure dragoness agreed, watching his chest carefully."You have to tell me, how that happened. And you better start watching for yourself." Viola said. "No one has such great talent to fall into troubles. You know, you have a family to care about." She noticed.  
"I'm still alive, that's what matters." Tremor replied. The ice dragoness laughed.  
"If I had such bad luck as you, I would be scared to leave my house, not speaking of being guardian. Anyway, where are you going?" Viola asked curiously.  
"To Douten. I want to apologize him for all that happened between us." Tremor explained. Dragoness's eyes grew wide with surprise.  
"I thought that you would never more speak with him again after your last conversation."  
"This same here. But Gaia asked me to stop quarrels with him." The guardian explained.  
"Gaia? What do you mean?" Viola watched Tremor with surprise. "I know that her soul helps you in fight, but would she have time for such a request in middle of battle?" She asked with disbelief.  
"No. She asked me for it, when I was fighting for my life in hospital. But that time, I was the one to visit her at the other side."  
"You mean... you were dead? Again?" She asked. The earth guardian laughed silently and shrugged.  
"Maybe yes, maybe not.I have no idea, honestly. Medics couldn't explain, what have happened. I wasn't really dead, but neither fully alive. But still, I had chance to see my parents and Gaia." Viola smiled.  
"You were really lucky. I never had an opportunity to see my mom once more." Viola admitted.  
"Yes, I am." He agreed sadly. He really pitied the ice dragoness, as he felt great doze of envy in her words. "So, you're planning to go to Douten with me, aren't you?" Tremor guessed.  
"I really want to see that." The ice dragoness still couldn't believe that they're actually going to become reconciled again. "Besides, I think I owe him something. After all, I broke his heart."  
"You know that it may not end up as planned." Guardian noticedgloomily.  
"That's why I'm here. If something goes wrong, I'll make sure you won't kill each other." Viola would smile, if only she was joking.

Douten watched the earth guardian with in reply. Thealchemist would never think that Tremor would visit him even once more. He didn't even try to hide surprise, but he didn't show a sign that his blood was boiling with anger.  
"Welcome, Tremor, Viola. Please, come in." Three dragons went to living room, where was sitting about twelve years old fire dragoness, she was studying book about alchemy and finishing writing some to her, there were lying several phials with elixirs and at least ten kinds of herbs. Viola easily recognized her and she wasn't happy about that at all.  
"Oh, it's you, Tris." She stated with gloomy voice. The fire dragoness raised her head and watched the newcomers.  
"Hey, Freezer." She greeted Viola with no even note of sympathy. "You're Tremor, aren't you?" She asked the earth guardian.  
"For you, guardian Tremor." Viola said coldly, before Tremor replied. Tris sent the ice dragoness hateful sight."You don't want me to beat you like last time, do you?"  
"I am Tremor." The earth guardian decided to join the conversation understanding that letting their two on their own wasn't good idea.  
"Tris, the lesson is over." Douten noticed. Theyoung dragoness noddedobediently and packed her stuff to small bag quickly. She walked next to newcomers and she was about to leave, when she turned around.  
"Tremor, could you pay me a visit tomorrow? I'd like to hear some of your stories. Especially about my parents. From what I heard from Ray, you knew them quite well." Tris pleased.  
"No problem." Tremor agreed.  
"Well, see you tomorrow!"She bided them goodbye and left house. Two earth dragons said goodbye too, but Viola just hissed angrily.  
"Do you teach her alchemy?" Tremor asked Douten with surprise.  
"Yes, medical alchemy, I have to admit that she's really talented. I used to be very busy as the elder, so she could come to me only at the mornings" I'm not anymore, but you know, habits, habits..." Douten explained. "Could you wait for me for a moment? I have to do something immediately." He asked them.  
"No problem." Viola said. The alchemist ran upstairs and disappeared from their sight. "Tremor?" The azure dragoness poked the guardian, who was glaring at Douten's equipment hanging at walls.  
"Sorry." He shook head trying to forget about all that weapons. "Those metal gauntlets... I find them somehow creepy." Viola wanted to say something, but then the alchemist entered room.  
"I see, you're back, Tremor. How was it in Teria?" He asked curiously.  
"I wouldn't expect that you cared about me." Tremor replied. Alchemist just laughed.  
"Cared? Not at all. I just wanted to get my gauntlets back." Douten earth guardian smirked.  
"Well, Candice crushed one of them into parts. If you want it back so much, you can fly there and look for it in caves around city." Though Tremor's words weren't really offending, but there was something so malicious hidden within them that Douten would most likely hit the dragons were giving each other annoyed felt tension between them way too clearly.  
"Hey, hey, calm down." She smiled trying to ease the situation. Thedragoness gave Tremor electrifying look. The guardian understood her suggestion. In mind, he thanked Viola for coming with him. He grinned to alchemist, this time, honestly.  
"No offence, Douten."He said. Both earth dragons smiled, as if they were friends.  
"I don't mind." The alchemist glared at Tremor with pretended good-heartedness. Viola noticed that alchemist's tailblade was covered in some transparent liquid, but she didn't ask about that. "As I guess, you were sent here on some special purpose, not just for friendly talking."  
"No, I just wanted to talk with you, in fact." Tremor refused. Douten watched guardian with surprise. "And also..." The earth guardian took deep breath, unsure, how it was going to end up. "I forgive you and ask you for forgiveness, because of all that happened between us. I wish we could be friends once more." He finally spitted it out. The alchemist couldn't believe his ears. Douten laughed silently. At his laugh, there was something mysterious and evil. He stood up slowly.  
"Forgiveness?Friends?" He asked with disbelief and note of amusement."In what world do you live?! Do you believe that by simple word you'll undo this, what... what you've done? This, what you stole or couldn't protect? Like Gaia?" Douten asked resentfully.  
"Don't involve her in that!" Tremor stood up also and watched the alchemist angrily. Viola knew that she had to interfere.  
"Tremor, Douten, please."She asked them. Earth dragons glared at her. "You're right, Douten, done can't be undone, but still, can't you just forget about this all and become friends, you know, like old times?" Viola tried to calm them both down. Three dragons remained in silence, no one knew what to Douten.  
"Little foolish girl." Douten watched at Viola, as he interrupted silence. "Forgiveness is submissiveness. And when you're submissive, you won't even notice when world has stolen everything what you care about." The alchemist said coldly and he turned at Tremor. "Leave my house. Now. Otherwise, I won't stop myself from killing you." He was deadly serious.  
"Do you really think you can kill me?" Tremor asked knew there was nothing to lose already, so he decided to at least annoy Douten a little.  
"You wouldn't even scratch me." Douten turned around. "Farewell." He swung his tailblade. The alchemist intended to scratch guardian's face, but then, between them stood Viola. In effect, she got small cut at cheek. Tremor hissed angrily. He wanted to jump to the alchemist and knock him out, but the azure dragoness grasped his shoulder.  
"Go home, Tremor, I'll talk with him." She suggested. Douten turned around and watched Viola with surprise, just like Tremor did.  
"But..." The earth guardian tried to refuse.  
"That will work well for both of you." Viola assured him. Tremor sighed deeply. He hung his head sadly and left house reluctantly. "Thanks, Tremor." The ice dragoness said, as he was already gone. The alchemist watched Viola carefully. He wanted to say something, but then, she slapped his face.  
"How could you..." She started. Douten interrupted her by paw.  
"Before you start shouting at me, do you want anything to drink?" He suggested. Though strange, that was his habit as alchemist's, after all.  
"Yes, antidote for that freaking venom covering your tailblade!"The alchemist was completely aghast, he had no idea how she noticed that. He took small red bottle from shelter next to him and gave it her. Viola opened it and drank quickly, though it was disgusting. She watched the alchemist with contempt.  
"How much time would Tremor have, if your plan worked out?" She asked coldly, feeling that her blood was boiling.  
"Two weeks of least. And magic wouldn't help him much, I predicted that." Douten was honest. There was no point in lying. "Do you want to hear details?" He offered.  
"Spare me that." Viola refused with disgust."I can't believe that you've fallen like that. To attempt to kill somebody, who asked you for forgiveness? To break promise given to the one, who you confessed love? I never thought that you would mention Gaia in such a way." The alchemist seemed not to care about her words at all. "I don't know you anymore. You're walking the path, where no one can follow you. That's why you're alone." Viola said sadly.  
"I haven't changed my path. I'm just showing my real nature." Douten's sight was cold, like never before.  
"Is that so?" Viola asked, surprised just a little. "You know, at first, I wondered if I did well reacting like that at your confession. You know, at the banquet, right after the guardians came. Breaking your heart... I answered so brutally, not even trying to be... gentler." Viola said. "Now I see my mistake. I shouldn't have cried. Someone like you don't deserve for pity." She explained. That did hurt Douten. He never expected such words from her.  
"So we're not friends anymore?" He asked, surprised.  
"From now, we're rather enemies." The dragoness gave him cold sight filled with disdain. "You're even worse than Venganza. Even they would never find their own kind their enemy." Viola said. Then, Douten laughed devilishly.  
"So your fate will be this same as my enemies'. You'll die, burnt in the fire of Venganza." The earth dragon grinned in his sight told Viola that he didn't use the last word accidentally. Her eyes grew wide with fear and shock, as she figured out what he meant, as all the elements, seemingly chaotic and meaningless, started fitting the puzzle. She made several steps back, but then, she felt end of corridor behind her.  
"N...no." She shook her head slowly with disbelief. Her voice was shaking. "Th...this can't be truth." Douten gave her evil smile.  
"But this is truth, little, foolish girl." He was speaking very slowly. He seemed to enjoy every single word, every letter. "I am spy of Venganza in this city. Because I used to be elder, Venganza decided that this will be place of their last battle. I was the one to give themelixirs and equipment, I made Diego and Glimmer buy it." Douten explained.  
"Impossible!" Viola shouted, hoping, it was just a bad dream.  
"And now, I have to kill you, Viola." Viola's limbs were shaking with fear. She was unable to even twitch. "Do you want to know, what is the main reason, why you have to die?" Douten asked.  
"Isn't that obvious?" The ice dragoness asked, as she made defensive pose.  
"No." The earth dragon enjoyed situation with some sick, twisted pleasure. "There's something more than just this. You not only know truth about me, but also, there seems to be some connection, bond, between you and Sable. Not many dragonesses cuddle mutant wyverns."The azure dragoness watched him surprised.  
"You saw us then!" She couldn't believe that.  
"Exactly. And because you know Sable, you have information about him. And because information is weapon, you have to die."  
"Why did you join them? Those wyverns have nothing to offer you!" Viola shouted at him in despair.  
"They have something. It's thepromise of vengeance." Douten made effective pause. "Promise that I'll have anopportunity to kill those, who stole everything I had. To kill Tremor and Cynder .My own Venganza."  
"You're mad. Abandon this darkness, it's consuming you!" Violabeggedin growing disbelief.  
"I? Am I mad?" The earth dragon watched her with surprise. "This world is mad! World that did nothing about Cynder! Even, if she killed so many dragons, nobody even suggested killing her! And why?! Just because of this corruption shit and fact that she charmed Spyro to make him protect her! This world is mad, because it let such scum as Tremor become the dragon guardian! It's only his fault that Gaia died! I deserved to become guardian hundreds times more than him!That was my legacy and he stole it! He, some orphan who my family mercifully helped when he lost his parents!" Douten shouted. Viola tried to say something, but the alchemist interrupted her. "Madness, darkness, you say!" He laughed aloud, in such a way, as if he was twisted-minded. "You're right." He made pause for a second."Something in the darkness pulled me deeper! Something in the madness eased my mind!" He spoke, grinning in sinister way, as if he was barely stopping himself from laughing aloud. "Cut the strings that bind me to my kind. All I need is you." He made a step to her and put paw at her cheek gently. His face was just centimeters from her, watching her with loving sight. "Do you remember how you used to call my parents? Uncle, aunt... Don't you want to avenge them, to bring justice? Once we're done here, we'll travel at north and find there murderers of your mother." Douten grinned ominously. He dropped her cheek. And opened his paw wide open right before her. If she wanted, she could grasp it at any moment now. It was offer. "Join me, Viola. Together, with my elixirs, with your intelligence, we can change this world. Elders of this city, Cynder, Tremor, guardians, their companions, even Venganza... They're all just puppets! Not even in the hands of fate, as if it existed, but my own! I am their fate, I write it! This all what you've seen this far is just the beginning, the prelude of the true vengeance! You and me will judge and punish every dragon, every wyvern, every being who ever dared hurting the ones who we truly love. My list is so long. I know that yours is even longer. Together, we shall bring the justice back to this corrupted world. Join me Viola. Just take my paw and we will change the world." The ice dragoness watched his paw. What should she do? Did she doubt what was right? She knew that vengeance was evil. But...it was so tempting. Then, she recalled moment of her mother's death, her last words. And she knew the answer.  
"My mother would roll in her grave if I avenged her. I promised her I wouldn't do it." Viola whispered, pushing his paw away. "Don't you remember what she used to say? Revenge is not justice, but crime. Murderers shall be punished sooner or later. And Cynder, Tremor... They're innocent. The ones to be blamed for all this death you want to avenge are already dead." From azure dragoness's eye dripped tear. "How foolish I was. I thought that you turned from dragon way just a little. But now, I understood that you chose completely opposite way." She wasn't scared of Douten anymore. She had to go through with it. She had only one choice. "You've fallen and you give me no choice. I'll protect my friends, even if it means killing you." She decided. The alchemist just laughed aloud and stepped back a little.  
"Kill me? Do you really believe that you can do anything to me? You won't manage to even touch me!" He jumped to the dragoness and swung his paw, trying to slit her throat. But Viola didn't move she waited for right moment. When the alchemist was about to kill her, Viola blocked his blow by paw and shot at him ice spike. It scratched Douten's cheek making him jump away.  
"I'm afraid, I have to disappoint you, I'm not going to die so easily." Viola made offensive pose, like her father taught her to do.  
"I have to admit, I've completely forgotten." Douten wiped blood from his cheek and watched it. It wasn't just small cut, but quite deep wound. If he didn't avoid it in time, he would be dead already. "Yeah, my mistake. Since you're future candidate for the ice elder, I shouldn't give you any opportunity to scratch me again." Douten decided. Viola analyzed her situation. They were staying in the narrow corridor, between her and escape was staying Douten. In the half way between her and him, there were stairs at second floor. She started running to the earth dragon and cursed silently. Because her enemy was theearth dragon, she had big disadvantage when she couldn't even straighten her wings. Douten also started running. He shot big earth bullet, but Viola jumped. She bounced from wall, touched ceiling with hinder legs and bounced from it divingto her enemy. Douten jumped back from wave of cool, which Viola released from her lips. Thedragoness landed next to stairs, at which she started running.  
"You can't escape!" Douten ran to stairs and he was about to shoot the earth bullet, when he slipped and collapsed at perfectly smooth sheet of ice, which Viola had created just before running upstairs. Douten hit ground by paws. From wall next to running dragoness appeared pillar, which hit both her front legs making her lose balance. She squeaked with surprise and rolled down the stairs, right to the feet of grinning alchemist. He was waiting to give her nasty blow. Douten swung his paw trying to slash her hinder legs in moment, when she was turned at him with her back. Viola blocked his attack kicking his arm and with second leg she kicked his face. Then, she rolled back on her feet, bounced in the air above him, so she was right above the alchemist and started spinning vertically, turning to the ground with her back. Her tailblade started getting closer to his face. Douten blocked it with paw, but then her tail wrapped around his throat and squeezed strongly. Viola continued vertical rotation lifting enemy, and when she landed with front paws, she released grip. The alchemist crushed with great speed at the end of corridor. He groaned painfully. The dragoness watched him with contempt.  
"Power that I haven't dreamt about, my tail." Viola snorted scornfully. She stood before the earth dragon, lying on the floor, paralyzed by pain. "I wish I didn't have to kill you." The ice dragoness whispered. She raised her paw slowly and aimed at Douten's throat. She was about to kill him when she looked into his eyes. Their sights met just for a second, but it was enough. Viola put her paw on the ground and turned around from Douten. "What am I doing?" She asked herself with disbelief. She simply couldn't kill the dragon who she knew since hatchling."You will be judged for all that you've done, Douten." She decided. The ice dragoness walked to door, not even looking at lying dragon. "For attempt to double murder and working with Venganza, you'll be banished." Viola continued. "If lucky. But I don't think that Ray or my father will be gracious after you tried to kill me and Tremor. And it doesn't matter, if your father was hero." She was walking next to stairs, when ice at the frozen floor beneath her cracked. Viola knew that blow was coming, but she couldn't dodge it. Pillar of earth that appeared from floor hit her chest strongly, sending her in the air. Then, she felt that she was caught and thrown strongly at the wall, where several seconds earlier was Douten. The alchemist squeezed Viola's throat strongly. Very strongly. Viola grasped his paws, as her view blurred, she groaned painfully. Douten smiled pitifully.  
"Little, foolish girl. To show your back to your enemy. To believe that I would fight fair... Farewell, Viola." He kissed her lips gently. Then, he squeezed her once more and dropped her. Theice dragoness fell on the ground, unconscious.

The alchemist stood in front of Viola, watching her beautiful body. Even, if they were enemies, he still loved the dragoness who he was going to kill. "I wish it could end up another way. Everything would be much easier, if you didn't know Sable. If you didn't have to die." Douten took deep breath, glaring at her closed eyes that were never going to open again. "Sorry, Viola, my honey. But I had to choose the lesser of two evils." He raised his paw and was ready to finish her life, when he heard noise of sword taken from scabbard. Stranger's katana appeared right behind him. The earth dragon tried to attack with earth, when he felt blade's edge pressing against his shoulder.  
"One reckless move and you're dead." Douten heard cold voice. He didn't doubt that the newcomer wasn't knew that he could kill him before Douten would manage to do anything.  
"How did you know that she's in trouble, Sable?" The alchemist asked curiously.  
"Accidentally. I had to give you message. I was about to enter house, when I heard her voice."Sable explained, his voice was still filled with anger.  
"Hide your sword." The earth dragonordered from wyvern. Then, katana's edge moved away from his shoulder. Douten wanted to say something, when it touched his throat.  
"First, put your paw down." Sable made gentle move with his paw. At edge of sword appeared drip of dragon's blood, as Sable scratched Douten's neck. "Please." Cuarto said with demanding voice.  
"To impose my conditions? Aren't you too insolent?" The dragon asked. Sable touched Douten's neck with point of blade. "She knows too much." Douten argued.  
"There are ways to keep her silent without killing her. I can't believe that you want to kill dragoness who you love." Sable said.  
"The lesser of two evils, Cuarto. I had to choose. What would you do, if you were me?" Douten asked curiously.  
"I wouldn't choose any of them. I would make something else that she would be alive and Venganza would be safe." Cuarto replied without a moment of hesitation.  
"You're indeed emotional. And foolish, even more than her." Douten stated.  
"Promise that you won't kill her." Sable demanded.  
"You know that with those words, you're putting your own life on the line for her?" The former elder warned him, not believing that Vengantimo would do it.  
"I do." Sable confirmed. "Promise that you won't touch her, neither tell any Vengantimo to harm her." The lightning user ordered. "Don't make me repeat myself."  
"Or what will you do?" The earth dragon asked. The wyvern snorted scornfully.  
"How do you think?" Cuarto's katana was too meaningful to ignore it.  
"Fine." Douten sighed deeply. "I promise, I won't kill her." The dragon said. Sable hid his katana to scabbard. "So, what news you bring?"  
"Everything goes according to the plan. Venganza is ready, we'll attack as planned." Sable reported. Douten smiled. "I'm heading to the dragon guardian of fire right now to tell him the news."  
"Good. Good. That's it?" Sable nodded. "Disappear then." The earth dragon ordered. Cuarto turned around as he was about to leave.  
"If you break promise..." Sable started.  
"I know." Douten interrupted him.  
"No, you don't." Sable refused. He didn't turn around, but stood with his back to dragon right before the door. "It doesn't matter who are you, nothing and no one will stop me, neither Vengantimos, neither dragon guardians. If you dare hurting her, I'll give you the most painful and gruesome death that I can perform. And trust me, since I'm medic, I can do quite a lot of painful things with dragon body." The earth dragon watched Sable with disbelief. He never would expect words like that from Vengantimo, especially not from him. Cuarto smiled devilishly. "Don't make me do it. We both would prefer to avoid it." Thewyvern left house with back doors, this same way he came in. He respected dragons, but didn't care that he treated Douten so insolently. For Viola, he could break his own rules.

Viola opened her eyes slowly. She couldn't believe that she was still alive. Then, she saw Douten staying in front of her. The dragoness stood up and tried to run away, when the alchemist touched her throat with talons.  
"I'm not going to kill you." He assured her. Theice dragoness still was unconvinced about that. "If I wanted to do it, you would be dead already." Douten noticed.  
"What changed your mind? Pity?" She asked, trying to extinguish fear burning in her heart.  
"No, you were lucky that Sable came here and stopped me." Viola watched him surprised.  
"Sable?Was he here?" She asked with disbelief. Douten nodded. He noticed that dragoness's face expression completely changed, as if she hoped that she would catch up with wyvern and meet him.  
"Viola, listen to me." The alchemist gave her cold glare. "I'm not going to kill you on one condition. You can't tell anyone about anything that you know about Venganza. Otherwise, even all guardians won't be enough to stop me from killing you." Douten watched the ice dragoness carefully. He knew that she was going to hate him for his next words. "And also, I'll tell Venganza that Sable betrayed them. That would be the death sentenceto your... friend."  
"You...You wouldn't do that!" Viola couldn't believe her words.  
"Do you really think so?"The earth dragon smiled devilishly. "Now, disappear from my eyes, before I change my mind. And remember, if you want to join me, you're free to do so."He ordered. The ice dragoness, not thinking much, ran to door and left house. Douten watched her calmly. He smiled sadly to himself. "So even Viola didn't want to follow my path. Too bad. But it means nothing. In bottom of her heart she seeks for vengeance, sooner or later, she will join me. And I... I'll wait for her and meanwhile, bring this all to the end."


	38. Silence before the storm

Chapter 38. "Silence before the storm"

It was just morning when Sable was walking through labyrinth of narrow streets of the eastern city. He knew them very well, he had been to there not once, but still, he had to be very careful. He preferred to remain unnoticed by any dragon until he'd reach his destination. There was someone who he needed to talk with. Then, he heard silent cry. At first, he wanted to ignore it, but he was both too curious and worried about the source of that noise. He walked to the cry to find small ice dragoness sitting on the ground and wiping out her tears. She was just hatchling, not more than seven years old. Sable sighed deeply. "I'm Vengantimo. If I see dragon, it's my duty to kill him to avenge those who I lost because of them. That's what Primero says. One slash and she will just fall dead before my feet." Sable said in his mind. He walked to dragoness and smiled warmly, as he crouched next to her..  
"Hey, what happened?" He asked with worries. He caressed her head gently, his touch was warm and calming. And that was it, speaking of his duty as Vengantimo.  
"I've got lost." The little dragoness said, crying. "My parents disappeared somewhere in the crowd last evening and I was trying to find them, but I couldn't..." She continued crying silently.  
"You know, I'm going to my friend right now, he knows the city quite well so he'll help you find your parents." Sable suggested.  
"Find my parents?" Dragoness repeated slowly.  
"Mhm. We'll find them before you even notice." Sable promised. "My name is Sable. And yours?"  
"Alain." The ice dragoness whispered silently.  
"Stand up, Alain, wipe out your tears and get on my back. We'll find your parents." Sable took off scabbards from his back. Something in Sable's voice stopped hatchling's tears and she jumped on wyvern's back.  
"Are you a dragon? You look strange." Alain said. Sable laughed silently. He hadn't been called dragon for so long.  
"That's long story." Sable said. They started walking.  
"Could you tell it?" The ice dragoness asked.  
"Well, I shouldn't do that."  
"Please. I'll tell you something about me too." Youngster begged. Wyvern sighed deeply.  
"Whatever. But promise that you won't tell about that anyone, even our parents. That will be our little secret, fine?" Cuarto pleased. Telling his life story to some dragon hatchling... He not really felt like Vengantimo in that moment.  
"Ok!" Youngster nodded cheerfully. Sable smiled slightly and started telling her whole his story. He was glad that he could tell it someone who he didn't know and who would keep it unrevealed. Even if it was one of the most reckless things he could do. He simply felt very bad about himself and needed to tell it anyone.

Flame, Ember and Torch went sleeping right after Cynder's visit. But it wasn't given the fire guardian to rest for long. At first, he thought he heard someone opening door and silent female speech, but he ignored it. After about ten minutes, when he was almost sleeping, he was woken up but someone's calling. "Wake up, Flameus." He heard male voice, which he didn't recognize at all. The red dragon opened eyes with annoyance. He smelled someone he had never before met. Flame stood up quickly and ran to stairs, but when he reached them, there was no one already.  
"Who is that?" The dragon asked himself, walking down stairs. When he went to living room, he noticed newcomer. It was wyvern, leaning against wall and watching with interest the furniture. He didn't even notice that fire breather was there, he was too fascinated with ornaments at one of shelves. Near to him, at the floor, there was laying pile of all towels, at which there was sleeping small dragoness, just a hatchling. "Sable." Flame watched wyvern with surprise. "Cuarto Vengantimo. You're the one, who fought Stella, right?" Sable who didn't realize that the guardian was behind him until he spoke, startled, stopped watching furniture and turned to him. He smiled, a little embarrassed.  
"Flameus, the dragon guardian of fire." The wyvern bowed making his characteristic gesture. "I'm honored that so proud being like dragon and also at this level of strength recognized me. Even, if we've never met." Sable greeted him.  
"You have nerve to come here." Flame noticed angrily. He didn't let his guard down, ready for possible in his belief attack. "Who's that youngster? Why did you bring her here?"  
"Her name's Alain. She got lost yesterday and I wanted to help her, but for some obvious reasons I not really can accompany her through the city so I brought her here. She was sleepy so I took towels and told her to sleep on them. Could you find her parents? I promised I'd do it but.. You know. I'm Vengantimo, I could be caught and it would end up in rather unpleasant way, as for me." Sable pleased. "And speaking of reasons of my visit, not so fast. How's your family doing?" Cuarto asked causally. The dragon hissed angrily.  
"If you'll even touch any of them..." Flame started. Sable quickly raised his arms, showing that he was unarmed. Indeed, both his swords were laying at table right between them.  
"It isn't my intention to hurt any of you. Sorry, if that sounded like some sinister suggestion, I just wanted to start some trivial conversation." He explained himself quickly. Flame narrowed his eyes, dumbstruck. "What?" Sable asked. "Since I live in forest, I don't have many opportunities to talk with someone else than Vengantimos. And Vixen. And you, dragon guardians, could have already noticed that I'm rather talkative."  
"That's why you're the only one to speak to us?" Flameus guessed. The lightning user laughed.  
"Am I that predictable?" He asked. Flame just nodded, to Sable's disappointment. The fire breather had to admit that he even liked that wyvern.  
"Seems like. Anyway, why are you here?" Flame asked, this time, friendly.  
"Will all guardians be back here before the end of ultimatum?"  
"They came back this morning."  
"Good. So now, I'm here to tell where will be the place of our last battle." Sable explained.  
"How can we trust that you won't attack the city meanwhile we'll be waiting for you there?" Flame asked suspiciously.  
"Venganza's targets are you, not civilians. Haven't we proved that so far?" Sable riposted, already prepared for this question.  
"Indeed, you have." Flame agreed. "So, where?"  
"Five miles at west from the city, there's small hill, rocky a bit, surrounded by several fields and forest. That's where we'll meet one hour before sunset. When it's still a little too bright for wyverns and quite dark for dragons. Neither of us will have an advantage of eyes." Sable walked to the table and wore both blades at his back.  
"Fair enough." Flame admitted.  
"Well, I'll be going now." The wyvern turned around and he was about to leave. "Just don't forget about Alain, could you?" Sable pleased.  
"Aren't you scared that someone notices you? Or that I tell someone that you're in the city?" Flame asked curiously, surprised a little with Cuarto's laxness.  
"No, not at all." The wyvern smiled. "Do you know why?" He asked. Flame shook his head slowly. "Because I perfectly know that you won't do it." He explained.  
"You're strange person, Sable. Do you really find yourself Vengantimo? Why don't you just leave Primero and help us? You don't hate dragons. And thanks to your help, maybe we'll even stop this all without bloodshed." The fire guardian asked skeptically. Nothing in Cuarto didn't fit to Venganza, especially not his attitude to guardians.  
"Am I Vengantimo? I ask myself about it every day and I still found no answer!" Cuarto laughed mysteriously and bowed in farewell Then, he left the house. He was right. The fire breather didn't even consider telling anyone that Sable was in the city. The guardian's eyes stopped on that little youngster, who Cuarto could have killed, if he only wanted. There was something that stopped him from arresting that wyvern. Something that Flame really didn't want to call sympathy.

Icey, Sable, Brute and Atroz were standing in front of Primero. Their leader was very disappointed with them, but he was hiding it until then. At his side was staying Vixen. She watched Sable with pity. Several meters behind Primero, at the tree, there was sitting Espejo, the only Vengantimo who hadn't faced guardians yet. Young wyvern was grinning insolently, watching his companions.  
"Could any of you explain yourself? Plan was simple. You, Brute and your two partners had to keep Tremor and Candice in Teria without trying to kill the earth guardian. Flush was supposed to become our ally. This same you, Atroz. With Viento's help you had not to let Spyro and Cynder come back to the eastern city too soon. And then Sable and Icey had to attack. Your mission was to kill dragons from Warfang, who remained in eastern city. So, could anyone of explain, how is that possible that all plans went wrong?" Primero watched with annoyance and anger four wyverns. "You first, Brute." Sexto was a bit ashamed, but he started speaking.  
"We tried to convince Flush to join our side, but there was no use. He made us kill him. Then, we decided that we have to change plans. We attacked guardians." The wyvern swallowed hardly, watching his leader. "At first fight, we lost Decimo. I had opportunity to kill Candice, but I was stopped. When I met Mar, he said that he killed Tremor. I was mad at him, but I could not really help it. We decided to hold Candice in the city as long as we can and kill her if there appeared opportunity. That was, when we were found." Brute sighed deeply. "In front of us stood Candice and Tremor, who simply had no rights to live."  
"So how's that possible that he's still alive?" Primero asked with note of irony in his voice.  
"I have no idea. Anyway, in time of battle, Mar died and I had to escape." Brute quickly finished story glaring carefully at his paws, not able to watch in Primero's eyes anymore.  
"I see." Their boss turned his head at Brute's brother. "So how about you, Atroz?"  
"Let me explain him." All Vengantimos watched Vixen with surprise. The black dragoness giggled. "Everything went according plan until Atroz and Viento decided to back out to eastern city. In that same moment, Spyro and Cynder found out their localization and tried to catch up with them. Viento was wind user, so he surely noticed and recognized them. He lied Atroz that they couldn't escape to fight Cynder. But he died in duel against her and Atroz would get killed as well, if not me." Primero watched dragoness surprised.  
"How do you know that all?"  
"Some of it told me Atroz and I watched Viento's fight. He betrayed you trying to kill Cynder on his own and there was no way to take him from there, so I decided to let him on his own." The black dragoness expected that Primero would be mad at her for abandoning allies.  
"You did well. I don't need traitors in Venganza. Cynder's, just like Tremor's fate will be different, they won't be killed by wyverns, but dragon. Especially Cynder." Primero turned at Icey and Sable. "I heard already reports of your assassination, so you both don't have to explain yourselves." Both Vengantimos hung their heads submissively. In their boss's voice was something so blaming that they felt terribly ashamed for failing him. Well, at least Icey did. The leader of Venganza stood up and watched four Vengantimos. "You all failed me. Because of mistakes of yours, we've lost four Vengantimos and lost chances to kill dragons that may be quite problematic for us now. That's why you'll spend all the time until battle at the eastern city here, in camp." Atroz watched boss with surprise.  
"You mean..." Primero nodded.  
"No one of can leave camp from now." Brute cursed loudly. He wanted to argue, but leader interrupted him. "No objections. You all are dismissed."

One day later.

"Long time no see, Tremor!" Flame smiled, as he greeted the earth guardian. "How was it in Teria? And why haven't we met right after your coming here?"  
"Because I had no opportunity to sleep well lately. In effect, I spent in bed whole previous day, resting. And answering the first question, it's quite long story, let's sit down and I'll tell you all everything." The fire guardian nodded and two dragons joined circle of all dragons from Warfang, Ivory, Angelo and Genesis. Spyro stood up.  
"It's good to finally see you all in good state, though, from what I know, it was close, wasn't it Tremor?" He started, watching meaningfully the earth guardian. All dragons laughed silently. "Well, for this month a lot of things happened. I'm sure that you all will agree that we should sum up all that happened in here, Leafen and Teria."  
"Before we start, I see that here are three newcomers, who I don't know." Stella said, watching vice-captains and medic. "It would be better, if we start with introduction." She suggested.  
"Well, I was about to suggest that." Spyro agreed. Genesis and Angelo stood up.  
"My name is Genesis, the vice-captain of fire of guards of Leafen." The fire breather said.  
"And I'm Angelo, the vice-captain of lightning of guards of Leafen." Both dragons bowed slightly.  
"We're twin brothers. We came here to offer our help in fight against Venganza." Genesis explained. The lightning guardian smiled.  
"It's not offer that we can reject, right?" Stella guessed.  
"Exactly." Angelo laughed. "We have our debt to Tremor that is still not paid back."  
"I see." Flame watched twins with interest. Then he turned at Ivory. "And who are you, lady?" Ivory smiled sadly. She stood up and bowed.  
"Call me Ivory. I and Candice know each other since childhood. I'm one of the best medics in Teria. I'm not very talented in using ice, but I may appear to be helpful. My real specialization is magic, clear energy from nature, healing and both defensive and offensive spells. I most likely inherited my talents from Lian, who about some of you surely heard." Ivory introduced herself. Ember watched the white dragoness with disbelief.  
"Lian? That Lian? Sorceress from Teria?" The pink dragoness wasn't sure, if she heard it correctly. Ivory nodded and smiled. Ember surely knew Lian from her books of anatomy, which were used to teach almost all medics.  
"Yes, that Lian. She's my ancestor." The white dragoness confirmed. She took deep breath. "I'll tell my story later, together with Tremor and Candice's one. Those two are quite connected." Ivory said. Spyro shrugged.  
"There's no problem, if you want so. So, who first?" The purple dragon asked. Dragons spent next three hours telling everything that happened at last month. All guardians heard much news and understood reasons of three newcomers to be in the eastern city. As Tremor and Candice finished their story, all the dragons were united in pity for Ivory, they really wished they could do anything for her. At the end, Flame told about his meeting with Sable.  
"So...Place and time of battle are already chosen and there are only six Vengantimos and Vixen left. What will we do before fight?" Candice summed up and asked the others.  
"At this moment, we're completely helpless against those wyverns" Flame said. "We have no more tracks, no chance to make any move. We can just make strategy for a fight, but I think it's..."  
"...obvious." Ember finished her mate's sentence. "We're not going to separate, most of our enemies don't have any teamwork." Flame smiled, as she understood suggestion.  
"Oppositely to us." The fire guardian continued. "But still, there is possibility that it won't be one great battle, but several duels, like ten years ago. We have to plan what to do in situation like that."  
"Yeah, there's always risk." Spyro agreed.  
"If there will be situation like this, I've chosen enemy, who I want to fight." Candice said. All guardians watched her with surprise, even Tremor. "I'll take Icey." The ice guardian decided.  
"No, I and Ember will take him." Flame couldn't believe that Candice actually suggested that. "He's Segunda, he almost killed us both. He's not kind of enemy that you can defeat in duel."  
"Even if he had opportunity to assassinate you both and though he perfectly knew your powers, he lost. And now, when I know his powers, I can kill him." Candice argued. There was something demanding in her voice, something that couldn't stand refusing.  
"Fine, if we'll have to separate, you'll take him." Flame agreed, though he really wanted to deal with Icey.  
"And what about us?" Angelo asked. "Won't we join you at the battle?"  
"No." Tremor answered. "Somebody should stay with youngsters. We'll take Ivory with us just because she's medic, but she won't join the fight. Right?" The earth guardian pointed last word at Ivory. She nodded, though reluctantly. Genesis rolled his eyes with annoyance.  
"When there's a battle we're going to be babysitters? I wanted to fight." He muttered so silently that only his brother heard him. "That's such a pain in the tail." Angelo gave fire dragon electrifying sight. "But I'm not going to argue with them." Genesis added after a second under his pressure.

"Are you sure about this?" Tremor was walking slowly with Candice across a street. "I mean, Icey is..."  
"I know he's strong! You promised Ivory that you'll kill Brute and you're going to keep promise! And I feel that I'm the only dragon, who can defeat Icey." Candice interrupted her mate.  
"Why? Can't other guardians do it? Last time, Ember and Flame made him run away." Tremor didn't like idea of her fighting Segunda.  
"Barely! He's the ice user! Can there be any stronger enemy for him than the ice guardian!?" Candice noticed how loud her voice became. All passersby watched the couple curiously. She felt confused a bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to shout."  
"That's fine." The earth guardian smirked. "I've got used to it, after all." He noticed, a little surprised that Candice apologized him for just that. "Anyway, real reason is the fact that Mar mentioned about him in time of battle, right?" Tremor guessed.  
"He said that Icey's even harsher than me. I just want to see, what kind of person he really is." Candice explained.  
"Curiosity?" Tremor watched her carefully. "Just please, watch out for yourself. I wouldn't stand losing you." He pleased her. Candice smiled ironically.  
"Shouldn't I be the one to say that?" She asked, watching him skeptically. Tremor kissed her cheek.  
"No. You already know that I'm such a pebble-brain that I'll risk my life, whether you like it or not." Guardians laughed silently, but Candice glared at her mate a bit scared about him. Tough it was supposed to be a joke, she knew that he was going to do exactly as said.

Viola was laying at the coast near small lake, watching water's surface covered in small ripples caused by the wind. She was thinking intensively about her situation. "I know that Douten works with Venganza. This knowledge could appear to be priceless for guardians. But if I told them they would have two options. They would do nothing, or arrest him and take for questioning. The first goal is impossible, the second would mean death to Sable. And if I told them that Douten must remain free in order to protect Sable..." She considered. "Would they listen to me? Of course not!" She scolded herself in mind for such an idea. "Why would any dragon care about him? His death would work even better for them, one Vengantimo less, after all!" Viola swung her tail rapidly, as she screamed in her mind. She heard noise of some branch breaking, but ignored it. "No, I can't tell anyone, definitely not the guardians." Viola cursed silently her terrible situation. "I have to protect Douten and beg in mind that everything will go well for guardians... And Sable. Especially Sable. Dear ancestors, what a mess! If only he could leave those Vengantimos." The ice dragoness was thinking intensively. Then, next to her sat Stella. Viola, surprised by her appearing, startled.  
"Will you mind?" Stella asked.  
"No, of course not." Viola refused quickly, a little dumbstruck by her appearance .  
"How are you doing?" The lightning guardian started conversation.  
"Not so bad. It's only I've had quarrel with Douten." Viola said casually.  
"What happened?" Stella watched her curiously.  
"There was some incident, we yelled at each other, had little fight." The ice dragoness explained, but didn't tell Stella any details.  
"Too bad."  
"Not really, we've got reconciled, I learnt something new about Douten. Could you... Tell Tremor that he isn't really as bad as he thinks. Tell him... that he regrets and he'll apologize sooner or later. All his hatred is gone. Douten is now this old good Douten from years before. He's definitely with us." Viola was hiding her stress perfectly, as she lied grinning to the guardian, who didn't even notice it. Viola in apologized guardians in mind, but she had to protect Sable and she believed that guardians would manage to deal with Douten on their own."What are guardians' plans about Venganza?" Viola asked.  
"In about two weeks, we'll meet in already chosen place, where we'll finish everything." Stella said.  
"I see. Worried?" Viola asked. Stella laughed, but she nodded.  
"I have feelings that it's going to be chaotic battlefield." The lightning dragoness sighed deeply. She wished that her opponent wouldn't have to fight Sable. He was strong and Stella liked him, which made Cuarto very problematic enemy. And she really didn't want to kill him, neither die. But if they met once more and he was playing serious, she'd be given no choice.  
"Who knows, maybe it won't be that bad." Stella whispered to herself. Two dragonesses were watching water's surface in silence. They both were lost in thoughts. And neither of them knew that they both were thinking about exactly this same person. Sable.

Spyro watched the city from balcony, when Cynder sat at his side. The purple dragon's face expression showed that he was lost in thoughts and didn't even notice, when his mate came. Cynder sat next to Spyro and poked his side. The purple dragon turned his head to her.  
"What are you wondering about so intensively?" Cynder asked with both curiosity and worries. Spyro sighed deeply and watched buildings beneath him.  
"I'm not sure, if I can do it." He stated.  
"W...what do you mean?" His mate watched him with disbelief.  
"I'm not sure, if I'll be able to fight against Primero. Every time we fought Malefor, it was obvious that our enemy had to be defeated. I hadn't any doubts about Malefor, neither about Liun. But, now..."  
"Do you have doubts about Primero? It's because of him that Flush died and..." The black dragoness couldn't believe that.  
"No, I don't mean him. But with Primero, there will be Vixen. She's his daughter, after all. And Vixen... she's just like you, as if she was your younger sister. I can't kill her." Spyro explained. Cynder watched her mate with pity. It was great dilemma for him. She nuzzled him gently.  
"Everything will be fine." She assured him.  
"How? What should I do? Kill her? It would be like killing you. Besides, she's just a kid, naive and... She doesn't even realize that she will die. I'm supposed to protect dragons. How can I kill her then? She's just a little youngster, who did nothing wrong. Killing her would be denying everything I believe in, all that I'm supposed to protect." Spyro felt creeps all around his body, as he said that. He knew that he couldn't do that, but he would have to.  
"You don't have to kill her. Maybe just knock her out or..." The black dragoness looked for any solution, but she realized that Vixen would never forgive killing her father. "I don't know."  
"Me neither. There's no good solution in such a situation." Spyro was crushed. "Vixen loves her father. She'd never give up on him. And if she for example protects him with her own chest from my Convexity..." His voice trailed off.  
"Yeah, I know. But there's still possibility that you won't fight her." Cynder noticed.  
"I doubt that." Spyro refused sadly. The black dragoness nuzzled him with love.  
"Come on, everything will be fine. Once you face her, you'll know the solution. You have to be strong. For all of us." She assured her mate. Spyro just smiled sadly, trying to believe in her words.

Young black dragoness beaten her wings fast, flying right above her father. The two of them enjoyed gentle light of already setting sun and chilly evening wind against their wing membranes. Vixen, gliding right above her father's back, watched the sun with fascination.  
"Dad, what will we do once we're done here? Where will we go?" She asked curiously.  
"I don't know." Primero replied shortly. "Somewhere far, far away, where dragons will never find us." He added after several seconds of silence.  
"So dragon cities are out of question?" The youngster asked sadly.  
"Yes, they are." Her father flew next to her and nuzzled her lovingly. "Once this all is done, I'm afraid we'll have to separate. It will be much easier for both of us." He said with voice filled with sorrow. He had been planning that for long, but he had never before told her.  
"What?! No!" Vixen refused rapidly, watching her father with disbelief. "I'll stay by your side, no matter what happens." She declared firmly. Her father smiled slightly, watching his daughter carefully.  
"Yes, I expected you to say that." Primero said. He looked at his daughter carefully and their eyes met for several seconds. Then, he turned his head away and giggled silently, in way very similar to his daughter. "You wouldn't let me go even if it would be so much easier to disappear, would you?" He noticed.  
"I will never leave you." Vixen promised. Then, she jumped on father's back and nuzzled him, giggling childishly. Her father grinned, even though he barely managed to keep flying.  
"So, kid, do you have any plans?" Primero asked.  
"Yes, I do." Vixen agreed, ignoring fact that she was called kid, even if she hated it. Only her father could call her like that. "You should change your body after we're done here. Scales, element... everything you can. I can change myself too, if you wish so. Once we're done, we'll leave to small village at the coast of Great Lake. It's little dragon town far at the north where guardians would never find us. It could be place where we would stop. What do you think about it?" Vixen watched her father curiously.  
"I like it. You wouldn't even have to change your body, if you wish so. Second mutation could have some unpleasant side effects." Primero said.  
"Really?!" The little dragoness asked and her father nodded. "Oh, thank you!" She hugged her father strongly. She loved her body so much and the news that she didn't have to change her body was so... She even lacked words to describe it.  
"Hey, I'm trying to breath." Primero noticed.  
"Oh, sorry." Vixen apologized and dropped her father quickly. Then, she started flying next to him. "I can't wait to leave this all behind." She confessed.  
"Yeah, me as well." Primero agreed. "Once we're done, we'll leave this place behind and live happily ever after." He said, smiling slightly and watching the setting sun with his little daughter at his side. Vixen giggled childishly. She felt that she was the happiest dragoness in the whole world.


	39. Beyond the limit of despair

Chapter 39. "Beyond the limit of despair"

Ivory opened her eyes slowly and groaned painfully. She was completely exhausted, her head hurt terribly, as if someone had hit her forehead with some blunt tool. She had no idea what was reason of that, but there were much more important problems. The first of all was: Where could she be? The white dragoness looked around. Behind her, there was small green lake disappearing in shadows, in front of her, three corridors. Above her was a stony ceiling. She was in a cave. Only light source were torches hanging at walls. This cave... She knew it. She had already been to there. Ivory stood before the green waters of lake and curled her lips in disgust, as she sniffed terrible smell. "How did I appear here?" The white dragoness asked herself. "Hello!" She shouted, but only voice that replied was her echo from above the endless waters. Then, she heard sound of some talons against the stony floor behind her. Ivory quickly turned around. From the darkness, in central tunnel, there appeared two glowing yellow points. Eyes. But those weren't normal eyes. They seemed somehow... wrong. The newcomer smiled and male, evil and silent laugh reached Ivory. Then, stranger disappeared in the shadows. Ivory stood up and started running after him. "Wait!" She heard beating of wings. "Who are you?! How did I get here?!" She started asking, unsure, if was that dream or reality. After not more than a minute, she couldn't her the stranger anymore. He stopped in the chamber at the very end of tunnel. Now, Ivory noticed that it was a red dragon, but it was too dark for her to notice any other details, only that he was a little longer than her. "Who are you?" She asked. Then, as if answering, the dragon shot a fireball beneath his feet. Intensive fire exploded and enlightened the chamber, so Ivory could see the fire breather. And recognize him. Gold medallion clanked at his neck. The dragon smiled, but in his face expression, there was something strange, terrifying. It wasn't just careless grin, but hiding something sinister. Ivory guessed that it was how death would smile.  
"Don't you recognize your own mate, Ivory?" The male asked with voice filled not with happiness, as Ivory expected, but anger. He was standing with his side to her, not watching her, but giving cold sight to the stony wall in front of him. The white dragoness stood still, not believing her eyes. She didn't know, what to say, how to behave.  
"F...Flush? Is that you?" She asked with disbelief.  
"Isn't that obvious?" Flush moved gently, disappearing in shadows. Ivory wanted to call him, but then, suddenly, he materialized right before her. Ivory's eyes grew wide. What was going on? "Why are you so surprised?"  
"You're supposed to be..." Ivory started. Flush smiled.  
"Dead?" He interrupted. "I am dead. Because you didn't do anything, when I needed you at the most." Ivory watched him aghast, feeling that her heart was tearing apart. To hear these words from his own jaws... "And now..." Flush raised his arm. Ivory groaned, as she felt terrible pain at chest. "I'll take my revenge for that." Fire breather's paw pierced her body rapidly. After a second, the red dragon stepped away and took his arm out from her chest. Crimson blood started dripping on the ground from both his paw and Ivory's wound, who desperately tried not to fall. Flush clenched fist and knocked out surprised Ivory.  
"Wha...what did happen to you?" Ivory asked, terrified. Her wound burnt with unbelievable pain, but she didn't care about that at all. She was overwhelmed with fear. Could that be Flush?  
"It's all that you deserve, you pitiful failure." He replied.  
"B...but..." She tried to say something. The fire breather crouched next to her and touched her cheek with his paw. Tears flowed down Ivory's cheek.  
"So you'll cry?" The red dragon raised his paw. "Goodnight, Ivory."

Ivory suddenly woke up. She was breathing quickly. Her forehead was covered with drips of sweat, which were falling down her face. "It was just nightmare." She whispered. The dragoness sighed with relief and wiped out a tear, which appeared in her eye. "Just a nightmare, like thousands before." Since Flush's death, there was no night, when she hadn't have nightmare. Since her coming to the eastern city week earlier it was getting only worse and worse. Sometimes, she wished, she could simply die, like in every of her nightmares, only not to hear Flush blaming her for what had happened. It all was her fault and her stings of remorse would haunt her forever and more. Suddenly, Ivory felt terrible pain at stomach. She held it strongly and squeaked painfully. Ivory barely managed to concentrate enough to release magic to bring herself relief. Two days of that serious illness completely overtired her. But state of her body was nothing compared to state of her completely crushed mind. Ivory had lost her will to live. Lately, she had become ill. That's why she stayed in her rooms for three days already trying to deal with her disease on her own. And something was wrong with her magic. She couldn't use it as well, as normally. It wasn't caused by only her depression, but there was something more. As if it was being absorbed by her own body without any rational reason, as if it needed this energy on its own, unknown to her reason. The white dragoness walked slowly to her bag with medicines. She stood at small stain of her parched blood. She made it trying to kill herself a day earlier. Only reason that she was still alive was that she slipped, while trying to pierce herself with tailblade. In effect, she had only slashed her shoulder. The dragoness went to her bag and drunk a restorative elixir. Then, another wave of pain came. It felt, as if thousands swords pierced her stomach. That was reaction her body's reaction for any drinks or food.  
"Some disease of stomach." Ivory stated. Then, she coughed hardly. "And pneumonia." The dragoness sighed deeply. She tried to concentrate blue aura, but she wasn't able to do it. "Pathetic. Can't I heal at least something like that?" From Ivory's eye fell tear. She was completely crushed. Without Flush, she didn't know how to live. Everything lost its point, she didn't care about anything. "Why?" She whispered. "I became medic to protect my friends. Though that, I keep failing. I failed my own mate. What kind of medic am I? What kind of dragon am I?" Ivory closed her eyes. "I left you, when you needed me at the most. I allowed death to take you away from me." Ivory coughed. She tried to stand up but she collapsed, her jaw hit edge of her bed painfully. The dragoness was too exhausted by three days of incessant healing herself and not eating anything. The white dragoness watched out the window to see the sky. It was sunrise already. She watched sun carefully, trying to keep her eyes opened. Then, the sudden wind blown and sun disappeared behind the curtain of clouds. This view was somehow inspiring her Ivory. It reminded her glittering light of her happiness, which disappeared from her heart as suddenly, as the sun hidden behind the clouds. "My life... without you is completely... pointless." Ivory whispered. Some idea appeared in her mind. She found the solution to whole her pain, she knew how to release herself from her burden. She slowly stood up and leaned against wall not to collapse. She stepped to desk, took sheet of paper lying on it. Then, she started writing.  
"Candice, Tremor, if you're reading this letter, I'm already gone. I know how you feel about this, but I have to do this. This is the only thing I can do. Without Flush, there's nothing more to live for. I hope that you'll understand and you won't be mad at me. Thank you for your support for whole this time, now, I only want to ask you for forgiveness. Candice, tell my mom that I love her, give her my rings. Sorry for what I've done. Tremor, don't blame yourself for Flush's death, it was only my fault. Not yours, but mine. I'm sorry, my friends, I really wish I could farewell you two for myself, but I don't want you to stop me. Goodbye. I hope you will win against those Vengantimos." As Ivory finished writing, she put the letter on the desk. She stood in the center of her room.  
"So, it's time for me." She placed her tailblade before herself, so if she collapsed, she'd pierce her throat. The white dragoness smiled. "Let's be together once more, Flush." She whispered.

"Ember?" The pink dragoness was walking a street, when Candice caught up with her.  
"Hi Candice." Ember turned to her. "Were you looking for me?"  
"Yeah, I need your help." Candice waved her head at right and both dragonesses walked that way.  
"Is it Ivory, who you want to talk about?" The fire dragoness guessed.  
"Yes. Since she fell ill, she hasn't left her room. And if anyone tries to get in, she blocks it by magic and tells to leave her alone. Three days already passed like that and I'm worried about her." Candice really didn't like whole that situation, like all guardians.  
"This has to be finished. I know that she must be crushed, but she has to live on." Ember said. She really pitied Ivory.  
"It's easy to say, but it's hard to live, when you lose someone, who you've always loved." Candice sighed sadly. She really missed Flush and yet, she knew that her sorrow was nothing compared to Ivory's.  
"Well, even if everything goes wrong, she mustn't give up. Tremor never gave up." Ember noticed. Candice smiled and nodded. The pink dragoness continued her sentence. "Maybe after several years, she'll forget about everything, find new mate and start family..."  
"Ivory? No, never. Flush was whole her live. She could do anything for him. I doubt if she will be able to start family ever." Candice explained. Ember became a bit confused, as she completely missed a point with her words.  
"So where's Tremor?" The pink dragoness asked.  
"He was sleeping so hard that..." Then, the earth guardian landed before them. He blinked several times and yawned.  
"I'm up already." He kissed Candice's cheek. "Why haven't you woke me up like always?"  
"I couldn't wake you up. Nothing worked out, even freezing air, so I gave up." Candice explained. Then, the earth guardian sneezed. Ember laughed silently.  
"You should stop waking him up by breath attacks, or next time, it may be something more serious." The pink dragoness stated with amusement.  
"I'll be fine." Tremor sneezed again. "It's nothing..." He coughed hardly. "Alright, I'm ill." Candice nuzzled him.  
"Sorry sweety." She apologized. Tremor could swear, he heard note of sarcasm. The earth dragon just shrugged.  
"Never mind." He smirked. "It was matter of time, since you're ice master."  
"Rather cold master, Tremor. "Ember corrected the earth guardian. They both smiled.  
"Very funny." Candice watched them with annoyed sight, but she smiled eventually too.

"Stop, Ivy." Ivory heard silent, male whisper. It was so gentle, warm, calming... Her tailblade was thrown away, she felt someone's protective arm holding her chest, not letting her fall. The white dragoness watched carefully the red arm holding her, and then she turned her head to see his face. She recognized him immediately.  
"Flush?" She didn't know if that was reality, or just another of her nightmares. "Aren't you..."  
"Dead? I am. But I managed to meet you once more. There are ways." The fire breather smiled slightly and nuzzled her. "When she said that you were going to commit suicide, I didn't want to believe her. I didn't expect you to do that."  
"She?" Ivory watched him surprised. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about? How is that possible that you're here?" The white dragoness asked. She couldn't understand anything.  
"The guardian of worlds. It's this same person who resurrected Spyro and Tremor after the final battle with Liun. She told me that you were going to commit suicide and I started begging her to give me a chance to stop you. Eventually, she gave me some time, not much, but still..." Then, he felt that Ivory cuddled him lovingly. Tears started falling from her eyes. Flush noticed that she was barely standing, so he held her. The fire breather poked her back and kissed her.  
"I love you, Flush." Ivory whispered.  
"Sorry that I died." Flush apologized. It was quite strange for him to apologize for his own death.  
"It was my fault." The white dragoness blamed herself.  
"No, not at all. You couldn't predict what would happen." The fire breather kissed her gently. "Don't you dare killing yourself. I understand, what do you want to achieve, but by doing this, you'll make my sacrifice go wasted." Flush said. Ivory nodded.  
"Whole my life had revolved at you. And now I'm feeling so alone. How am I supposed to live without you?" She explained. The fire breather smiled sadly and nuzzled her gently.  
"Do you remember, what I said that night?" Ivory watched him, surprised by that question. "I said that I'll keep you, not for the rest of my life but for the rest of yours." Flush's medallion clanked at his neck. "And I'll keep my promise."  
"Wasn't that just beautiful metaphor of your love?" Ivory asked, surprised. She never would think, he meant it absolutely literally, even in situation like that.  
"No, I was serious." Flush refused. Medic didn't understand him at all.  
"But how? You can't..." Flush laughed silently. He kissed her lips.  
"Understanding comes with time, Ivy." He stepped back. "Please, be careful. I wouldn't stand fact that something happened to you."  
"I'll be fine." Ivory nodded. Her heart leaped in joy. She really needed that meeting. She wished it could last forever. Then, Flush felt energy flowing away from him. He sighed deeply.  
"I have to go already." The detective said sadly.  
"But..." Ivory refused. Flush hang his head. He hated to say that.  
"It's time for me. I'm sorry." He stated sadly. The white dragoness kissed him for last time. From her eye dripped tear. Left side of Flush's torso started turning into gold dust and disappearing in the sunlight.  
"Farewell, Flush." Ivory said, watching spirit of her mate with fascination, enjoying the sight of dragon, who she would never meet again. The fire breather smiled.  
"Farewell, Ivy." The fire breather whispered warmly. "I'll be always with you." Last part of his body disappeared. The white dragoness cried silently, happy because of that meeting, yet sorrowful that it was only that short. Then she fell on the ground hardly. She had no more strength to stand still or even remain conscious. Whole her vision blurred. The dragoness closed her eyes.

Ivory opened her eyes and looked around. She was laying at bed in her room, someone had tidied it up, even washed blood at the floor. Next to her was sitting Ember. The pink dragoness smiled warmly, seeing that Ivory woke up.  
"Finally. I've been worrying, if something serious happened to you." She sighed with relief.  
"That's nothing. Just exhaustion, some disease of stomach and lungs. Nothing that I can't heal on my own." Ivory explained.  
"Then why didn't you do anything? And slashed yourself?" Ember asked. Ivory didn't answer. "Candice and Tremor read your letter already. They won't leave you for a second from now." The pink dragoness informed her. Ivory sighed sadly.  
"Well, I could expect that." The white dragoness said. Ember smiled with pity.  
"Depression, huh?" The pink dragoness guessed. "You should rely on us more. Death is not the solution." She said.  
"Just a moment earlier, I thought completely otherwise. Sorry for that, I wanted to deal with it for myself." Then Ivory watched door. It was broken. "You broke into my room?" She asked with resentful voice. Ember just nodded.  
"Tremor and Candice were so worried about you that they asked me to go with them to you. They went for some water, they'll be right back. I already healed your stomach, you'll cough for some time because of pneumonia, but give it week and you'll be fine."  
"Thanks. You know, I have some question to you." Ivory said. Ember jerked her head curiously.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"I have problems with magic." Ivory tried to show her magical aura, but there was no use, she was too exhausted. She had to explain it. "When I try to focus, energy flows not to my paws and jaws, like normally, but I simply lose big part of it. It goes to my underbelly and I can't use it at all, as if it was being sealed in there." Ivory explained, pointing her belly. Ember started thinking intensively. She had no idea, what could be reason of that.  
"How much of it do you lose?" She asked.  
"One fourth, maybe more. It's hard to say, this number grows a bit every day." Ivory answered. The pink dragoness started walking around room slowly and considering every possibility. She had never heard or read about something like that. She recalled how Spyro had lost his powers, but that was something different.  
"Any ideas?" Ivory asked. Ember shook her head. Then, some thought appeared in her mind.  
"Sorry for asking about something that personal, but how much time ago Flushed confessed his love?" Ember asked.  
"Does it matter?" Ivory jerked her head in surprise and indignation. "Or is it just your curiosity?"  
"It matters, just tell me and I'll explain you." Ember confirmed. The white dragoness scratched her head. She quickly counted days.  
"Almost month ago, I think. So?" Ivory watched her with sight demanding answer. She hated speaking about such intimate details.  
"You were mating, weren't you?" Ember didn't mince her words.  
"What?!" Ivory couldn't believe, she was asked about so intimate.  
"Weren't you?" Ember repeated. Ivory hung her head and blushed.  
"Yes." She muttered. "So, what is it?"She asked. Ember smiled. That was so ironic that medic as talented as Ivory couldn't recognize so simple change at her body. "Yes, yes, enjoy this moment, you've just beaten Lian's descendant." Ivory said with annoyance.  
"Think this through, Ivory. There's only one thing that could cause such a state. You've learnt about this at first year of medical studies." Ember gave her prompt trying to save remains of Ivory's pride.  
"First year?" Ivory was considering for a moment. But there was nothing that would fit her state. Then she shook her head. "Oh, come on, just spit it out." She begged. Ember sighed deeply.  
"Well, Ivory, you are pregnant." The pink dragoness said. Ivory opened her jaws widely and dried up. Ember smiled with amusement, seeing her reaction.  
"H...How do you know?" Ivory couldn't believe that it was truth.  
"Firstly, mood swing, which caused your sudden depression and pushed you to write that letter. It could be just depression, but you were changing your moods definitely too rapidly, as for average depression. I've noticed that before your illness, you'd frequently fall in good or bad mood, all of sudden. Secondly is that magic, which flows to your underbelly. The only explanation is that it's absorbed by dragonet. I guess that also means that your child will have great magic powers. When I was pregnant, I had some problems with magic as well, maybe not serious as yours, but still..." Ember was explaining. Then, she felt that Ivory hugged her. From white dragoness's eye dripped tear of joy, as she started crying silently. She didn't know what to say. Ember smiled.  
"Congratulations, Ivory. You'll be mother." The pink dragoness said. Ivory just grinned, so joyful that she couldn't stop her cry.  
"I'll keep you not for rest of my life, but for rest of yours." She recalled Flush's words in her mind. So that was what he meant. Her mate was right. Understanding indeed came with time.


	40. Morning

Chapter 40. "Morning"

"Sable?" Vixen called her friend, as their two were sitting next to each other before the bonfire. It was already night, all the stars could be clearly seen and all other Vengantimos were already sleeping.  
"Huh?" Cuarto watched her curiously. In almost complete darkness, shined only by gentle fire, her scales were fading away in the darkness, contrasting with her deep green, glowing eyes.  
"Could you tell me a story?" Young dragoness asked him. Sable turned around and watched her, dumbstruck.  
"Aren't you..." He started.  
"Too old? No." Vixen interrupted him. Sable watched her skeptically, trying not to laugh. "Oh, come on, tell me about that incident four years ago." She pleased.  
"You've seen that. The most of it." Sable noticed. "And besides, I've already…"  
"But I love listening to your stories." The black dragoness argued. Cuarto sighed deeply.  
"Fine." He finally agreed. "As you know, this all happened in the middle of dark night four years ago..."

Four years earlier

Sable grinned devilishly, as he slowly took his katanas from scabbards. In front of the lightning user, there were standing Vixen. Both of them made offensive poses. Cuarto watched silver moons above us for a second.  
"Are you ready, Vixen?" He whirled his swords quickly. "This time, I'll beat you up." Sable stated. Vixen just laughed in reply.  
"Is that strength, or foolishness, Sable? You've been training with those katanas for only two weeks." The black dragoness yawned deeply. "Come on, here already. I'm waiting for whole day for some serious action." She pleased. Sable hissed silently, but angrily. He started running to Vixen.  
"Here I come!" He shouted. Vixen yawned deeply again.  
"Oh, really?" She grinned insolently. Sable slashed, aiming at her neck. The dragoness leaned down, dodging blow for centimeters. The wyvern swung second sword, but before it reached target, Vixen released strong blow of wind from her mouth. It pulled away Sable sending him on the ground several meters farther. The wyvern groaned with pain and anger, before he managed to do anything, Vixen was already staying before him, touching his throat with talons. Young dragoness watched her friend with disappointment.  
"Don't you remember about my lessons at all?" She asked with voice typical for old and experienced mentor. Sable rolled his eyes and watched her with annoyance. "Don't glare at me like that! It's not pointless babbling, but serious advices, which will save your life not once!"  
"Alright, alright, sorry." He apologized. The black dragoness giggled like a little dragoness.  
"I don't mind. You're so cute, when you apologize."  
"I can't believe that you beat me up whole time. You're just eleven and I'm twenty one. My father trained me since I finished five years, which gives me almost three times longer fighting experience than yours." Sable hated to lose to such little girl.  
"It's not that simple. I've been trained for five years with no pause by Primero. You were trained by your father for ten years, then you had five years of pause to finally have only one year of mine and Primero's training. So don't be so sad, Sab, because you still have four years until Venganza will make its move." Sable sighed deeply. Vixen was right.  
"How did you call me?" The wyvern watched her completely dumbstruck.  
"Sab. What? Can't I use a shortcut after one year of friendship?" She asked, seeing, what was going to happen.  
"Not this one." Sable said. Vixen looked at him surprised.  
"But why? Does it sound so badly?" The dragoness couldn't believe that Sable was refusing something trivial like that.  
"Because there was only one person that called me like that." Sable turned around wiping tear from his eye. "It was my sister." He muttered. "Damn, it, why am I crying?" He cursed silently. He hated those tears. Vixen watched him sadly.  
"You really loved her, didn't you?" She asked. Sable nodded. Vixen flew to him and nuzzled him. "Don't be so sad. Sorry for that."  
"Don't be. It's my fault that I cry every time I recall her." Sable sighed deeply.  
"If you cry that means, you remember. That you won't forget about her." Then she smiled. "And who knows, maybe someday, in front of you, there will stand adult wyverness, who will say: Hi, I am your sister." Sable shook his head.  
"I'm afraid that's impossible." He refused.  
"Don't you believe in miracles?" Vixen asked with disbelief. Sable shook his head again.  
"When I was hatchling, I believed that everything was possible. But life gave me hard lesson. Miracles don't happen. Never. All we have, are our fates." He said.  
"But there are no... Alright, let's give up on that subject. We can't persuade each other and only thing that it will bring us are bad memories." Vixen yawned deeply again. This time, it was somnolence. The dragoness looked around. From their camp there were twenty miles and she didn't like idea of traveling in the complete darkness. Sable read through her mind. Even he was surprised that after only one year, they could understand each other so well.  
"Let's sleep here. We both are too tired with whole that training." Cuarto took off both scabbards. Then he laid at the side under some tree. He closed eyes trying to sleep. Sable felt that someone touched his belly. He opened eyes to see Vixen nesting next to him. She was smiling slightly. Sable smiled also and covered her with wing and tried to sleep. At moments like this he didn't know what to think about their bond. They surely were good friend. But someone more? Sable shook his head. There was no way. Difference of their ages was too big to think about her like lover, he also didn't feel something like that to her. But it wasn't usual friendship. It was hard for Sable to call it. After several minutes of thinking, he finally found answer. Even though they weren't related, their bond was like between brother and sister. That was quite strange, but the best explanation.  
"Sable?" Vixen poked his shoulder.  
"Huh?" He muttered without opening his eyes.  
"Can you tell me a story?" Young dragoness asked. Sable lifted his head and watched her dumbstruck.  
"Aren't you a little too old for that?" He noticed.  
"I'm just eleven." She refused. Sable laughed.  
"Just? You always say 'already'." He parodied her indignant voice speaking last word. Vixen smiled.  
"Please, I haven't heard any story for years." She pleased and gave her begging sight.  
"Hasn't Primero told you any?" Sable asked curiously.  
"Dad doesn't know any. Last tale I heard was from my mother." She explained. The lightning user sighed deeply. He hated, when she was giving him such cute sights, he couldn't oppose, when she did it. At that point, she was even worse than his sister years earlier.  
"Fine. I know one, but it's quite long, so try not to sleep until I finish it." He agreed. Vixen nodded, amused.  
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Sable turned at his back to watch stars. Then he started his story. Vixen also started watching stars and listening to him.  
Whole tale took Sable two hours, Vixen was listening him carefully to don't miss anything. The dragoness was making notes at her mind scrupulously. All happenings had place many years ago, in golden age of culture of wyverns. Main heroines, Bella, at first loved her best friends from ever, Tenaz. But then, she split up with him for his younger brother, Joven. Bella and Joven in short time became mates. They loved each other with pure love that never weakened even a bit. Because of that, Tenaz hated his younger brother. He tried to get Bella back, but nothing worked out. There was no strength, which could make Joven take away from his beloved wyverness. Then, Tenaz planned cruel vengeance on his brother. He asked him for help in exploring old caves and promised that if Joven did it, he would stop trying to get Bella. Joven, who had no idea, that there was hidden ancient evil, agreed. Two brothers went to dark caves. It was labyrinth. Tenaz left Joven there and escaped from tunnels leaving younger brother for death. As Bella heard that Joven was gone to caves, she went to tunnels and by some miracle, found her mate. Was it luck? Or maybe power of love? Then, from shadows appeared some dark creatures, which attacked them. They managed to survive first encounter closing metal door behind them not to let any of them go through, but they couldn't find a way to close door in any other way than blocking by themselves. In their situation, they had to make a choice. One of them had to stay there and keep creatures to let another one escape.  
"And what did they do?" Vixen asked with strong emotion at her voice. "Who sacrificed himself? Bella, or Joven?" She watched him curiously. Sable smiled. He loved to keep Vixen in suspense. Just like he used to do with his sister.  
"Joven. He said that he would stop enemies, as long as he could. Bella was crying and begging him to let her do it, but he didn't change his mind. He loved her too much to let her die. Bella agreed with great sorrow. She was ready to leave, when Tenaz appeared. He stood in front of his brother and said, that he would do it." Sable smiled watching surprised face of Vixen. "Joven tried to refuse, but Tenaz just said: It's only my fault, that this all happened. And it's time for me to pay for it. Bella and Joven agreed. Tenaz stood in front of metal door, behind which were his enemies. He smiled to himself, ready for his destiny. And then, he fought for last time. Sacrificing his own life, he redeemed his guilt."  
"Did Bella and Joven escape?" She asked. Sable nodded.  
"Yeah, Bella already remembered the way out. They both survived and lived happily ever after." Vengantimo confirmed. Vixen smiled.  
"Beautiful story. Does it have any moral?" Vixen asked curiously.  
"Yeah. From Tenaz's decisions you can read that it's never too late to change choice. That when you understand that all what you've done was bad, there's always chance to undone that. But even if you'll do it in time, sometimes you have to pay the highest price for it."  
"Is it real story or just imagination?" Vixen asked with childish curiosity.  
"I don't know." Sable lied to add some more of mystery to his story.  
"Maybe it really happened." Vixen said with dreamy voice. Sable nodded.  
"Maybe..." He yawned deeply, smiling with irony. "Goodnight, Vixen."  
"Goodnight, Sable."

Sable was woken up by young, blood freezing scream. He stood up quickly and looked around. Its source was far away. Vixen also stood up and she was ready to fly, but wyvern stopped her.  
"I'm going alone." Vixen watched him surprised. "Stay here, I'll handle this." He didn't even give her time to argue, but simply disappeared in the forest. Cuarto took his blades. "That scream." Sable said to himself. "That female shriek of fear... it brings memories." He hissed angrily. He knew that he was going to fall into trouble, but he had to check that out. That voice was too familiar for him, he couldn't ignore it. So many memories returning… Cuarto wiped out tear. "If you cry, you remember." He recalled. "I wish, I could forget or just redeem my guilt." The wyvern went at some road. In front of him, there were staying three Vengantimos turned at him with their backs. Sable didn't even need to see their faces to recognize them. Those were Atroz, Brute and Crue. In front of wyverns, there were three ice dragonesses. First of them, only four or five years old was staying paralyzed by fear. She was the one, who screamed. Middle one, about fifteen years old, was lying on the ground, she had long and deep slash of tailblade at her side. She had lost conscious or she was dead already. That was effect of venom, not wound. The oldest dragoness, who was in age similar to Sable's, was also lying on the ground, but she hadn't any serious wounds, just scratch at her neck. Wyverns noticed newcomer. Atroz smiled.  
"Sable? What are you doing here? Do you want to join us?" Vengantimo asked. Cuarto hissed angrily. Both katanas literally materialized in his paws and Sable started whirling those quickly.  
"Go away and I'm not going to kill you." He said deadly seriously. The fire breather laughed and turned at his brothers, watching them with disbelief.  
"Did you hear him? Go away?" He asked with disbelief. "We have advantage, we'll easily kill you, if try to oppose." Vengantimo noticed. "You're just Cuarto."  
"Do you think just is proper word?" Sable took offensive pose. "Try me then." The oldest of brothers smiled devilishly.  
"Brute, Crue, you know, what to do." Atroz whispered. They nodded. Crue quickly straightened arm and shot to Sable three needles. Meanwhile, Brute threw a bomb. The lightning user blocked all three bullets by quick whirl of katana. He charged his second sword with electricity and threw it to the bomb detonating it. The explosion pushed away both Sexto and Noveno. Sable used dust floating in the air to attack by surprise Atroz. He knocked the fire breather out and touched his neck with edge of blade. Cuarto smiled. He didn't expect this fight to be that easy.  
"Disappear, Atroz. They're mine." Sable stepped away. The fire breather stood up and watched Cuarto with disappointment.  
"You know rules, Sable. They saw us. They have to die anyway." Atroz could easily read in his eyes that he didn't intend to kill them.  
"Yeah, but I will kill them without unnecessary sadism." Sable replied. He watched wyverns with contempt. "And raping, like you would do." Cuarto added, barely stopping himself from killing Vengantimo. Atroz smiled.  
"You know me too well, huh?"  
"Well enough to despise you." Sable stated. Vengantimo hissed angrily in reply.  
"Brute, Crue, we're going." Atroz decided. Two brothers nodded and all three Vengantimos disappeared in the dense forest. Sable took his katana from the ground and put both of them to scabbards. He wanted to walk to middle aged dragoness. He intended to heal her, but then, the oldest dragoness attacked by surprise his back. The wyvern jumped away just in time to dodge blow. He watched the dragoness carefully, surprised enough not to make any fighting pose.  
"I'm not going to kill you, lady. All, what I'll do is healing your sister and bringing three of you to your home city." He explained. The azure dragoness shook her head in disbelief.  
"Do you think that I'll really trust such a freak, as you? I don't even know if you're wyvern or dragon." She said angrily, speaking word wyvern with pure hatred. Sable watched her annoyed and sighed deeply.  
"That hurts. Especially, when I hate racism. Does your arrogance don't let you accept help from another race, lady?" Cuarto asked, answering her question. The dragoness watched wyvern carefully, ready to attack.  
"So you are wyvern. I'm not going to accept help from someone, who promised those strangers to kill me." She replied.  
"I saved your life, foolish lady." Sable argued, with growing annoyance.  
"Stop calling me lady, freak!" She shouted angrily. Sable rolled his eyes.  
"Does my honest curiosity so much annoy you? Lady?" This time, the last word sounded like insult. The dragoness hissed.  
"Honest, my tail. I'm not going to let you even touch my sisters." The dragoness stubbornly opposed.  
"Don't do anything stupid, I just want to help you. And the only things, which your screams will bring, are troubles."  
"You'll have troubles, if any dragons hear me." The dragoness replied.  
"And you'll have troubles, if dragons are not the ones to hear you." Sable riposted. "Cut it off and let me heal her." He started walking slowly to the middle-aged dragoness, ignoring the oldest one. The dragoness jumped to wyvern, Sable felt pain at arm, as ice spike wounded him shallowly. The dragoness tried to attack him again, but Sable kicked her chest blindly. She was sent in the air, Cuarto jumped to her and hit her at two spots at her chest. The dragoness fell on the ground. She couldn't make a move.  
"What the..." She watched Vengantimo fearfully.  
"I paralyzed you for some time, lady." Sable explained angrily. He had enough of her already. The dragoness wanted to stand up, but she gave up after several tries. She started watching, what was Sable doing. As she understood that he wasn't going to kill any of them, she glared at him surprised.  
"You said truth." Her voice was filled with disbelief.  
"And you didn't trust me at all just because of my strangeness." The dragoness felt ashamed of herself for treating him so harshly.  
"I'm sorry." She apologized. "What's your name?" She asked.  
"Sable. I don't mind. And what is yours?" The wyvern charged lightning to start healing unconscious dragoness.  
"Viola. Sorry for calling you freak and wyverm just because, you're bipedal dragon." Sable smiled to himself hearing last word. Then he cursed silently. Wyvern's poison already started working, the middle aged dragoness could die any moment. He slashed his paw gently, some blood dripped at middle-aged dragoness's wound. Viola noticed that.  
"What are you doing?" She was watching him curiously.  
"That wyvern's poison already started working. Because my body is quite similar to dragon's and I'm invulnerable for this poison, my blood is strong antidote for it." Viola watched wyvern surprised. Meanwhile, the youngest dragoness went to her.  
"Viola?" She asked.  
"We're safe already, Ciri." Viola assured her sister.  
After giving the middle-aged dragoness some of his blood, Sable healed her wound. Then Viola noticed that there was something, she doesn't understand. "Sable? Did you say wyvern's poison? Weren't that dragons?" Sable shook his head.  
"It's... complicated. They, like me are mutant wyverns, something between dragons and wyverns. Hybrids. Only reason that I, oppositely to them, am bipedal is some failure in time of mutation." He explained.  
"Will Froza be fine?" That was all, Viola cared about now.  
"She's just unconscious. She lost quite much blood, so she'll have to rest. We should go now, lady Viola." The wyvern turned around, but Viola called him.  
"Could you..." She watched him meaningfully.  
"Oh, right." Sable smiled to himself. He had completely forgotten that he'd paralyzed Viola. He was about to bring her back ability of moving, when from forest reached him devilish laugh. Cuarto swallowed hardly. He knew, whose laugh that was. And his presence never meant anything good. Especially not in that situation.


	41. Midday

Chapter 41. "Midday"

Sable slowly turned around and watched the newcomer hiding at the verge of forest. "I knew that you're emotional, but something like that? You not just saved their lives, but also said things that no dragon should know, Sable." He heard male voice. From forest appeared the wyvern. He was almost Cuarto's equal, but a little longer. Before Sable even noticed that, he caught Ciri and threw her strongly on the ground several meters from him. Hatchling squeaked painfully and Cuarto hissed angrily. The newcomer was staying right before Viola.  
"Tero Raigo. What are you doing here?" Sable asked, grasping katana's hilt meanwhile.  
"I can ask you this same thing. And also, call me by my title. If you've already forgotten, it's Undecimo Vengantimo." Tero was smiling devilishly, enjoying the situation.  
"Why are you here, eleventh?" Sable was mad at him. Appearing of Tero was very unfortunate for him.  
"I think it doesn't matter in your situation. Now matters, what will you do." Tero loved moments like that. "You have two options. First, you'll kill all three dragonesses and I won't say anyone a word, what happened here." Viola watched Raigo with fear, even, if she expected that.  
"What's second option?" Sable asked, desperately trying to find a solution.  
"You'll kill two chosen dragonesses and let third one alive. But, Primero will know about everything and you'll pay for that with your own life." Tero smiled devilishly. Whatever Sable would choose, two dragonesses would die. Cuarto cursed silently.  
"Not good. Even, if I choose to kill dragonesses, Tero would never lose a chance to kill me. And even if I'll let any of them survive, she would be surely killed by Venganza, before she would say anything. Primero would have no doubts what to do about it. What to do? What to do?!" He shouted in his mind. Tero watched thinking intensively Cuarto with contempt.  
"So that's your limit, huh, Sable? You're playing high-minded, until you're sure, you risk nothing. Pathetic." He smiled watching Sable, who didn't reply. "You have to choose side, Sable. You can't be neutral in the war between wyverns and dragons." Sable made his choice. He slowly went to Viola and crouched.  
"I'm sorry." He whispered, so only she could hear him.  
"Please, save at least my sisters." Viola begged him.  
"Sorry." Sable whispered and stood up. "I'll kill them all. You can get the little one." Cuarto said to Tero, as he pointed Ciri lying on the ground. She had lost conscious, when she was thrown on the ground.  
"Fine." Tero turned around and walked to youngster.  
"Tero!" Cuarto stopped him from killing small dragoness right away. "I want to have first kill." Tero nodded and turned around. Sable took katana. Viola watched at the wyvern with fear. She felt cold creeps around whole her body. "So this is how we'll die?" She said in her mind. "In place like this, while coming back to home? In time, when I have so many plans for future?" She raised her sight at Sable. He was completely calm. "I'll be killed by wyvern, who intended to save my life?" Viola watched Tero Raigo. She couldn't see his face, but she heard his silent chuckle. Her eyes turned again at Sable. She wished, she could move.  
"S...Sable..." She whispered. The wyvern glared at her with sorrow.  
"Sorry, lady." He watched Tero Raigo staying several steps from them, then turned at Viola. He aimed and stung.

The dragoness slowly opened her eyes. She was alive. She couldn't believe it. Then she watched around. Her eyes opened widely, as she watched Tero. His back was pierced by Sable's sword. Cuarto was staying several meters from wyvern. Undecimo slowly turned around and watched him with disbelief.  
"Damn...you...Sable..." He took deep breath. "Why?"  
"Because I have enough of this. I have enough of unnecessary death of innocent beings. No more of killing without even giving a reason of that." Sable said slowly. Undecimo just laughed.  
"World is cruel, Sable. Innocent...persons will keep...dying. You...know it best. You left...your own sister...for...death." Sable hissed angrily.  
"Don't you dare speaking about my sister!" He spun his blade slowly, making Tero groan painfully.  
"Or what? I'm already...dead...after all. You can't stop...death, fool. It will always...be...around." He pointed Viola. "Saving her...doesn't change...a thing. You can't redeem...you guilt...by something like...that." Tero noticed.  
"For even a moment, I haven't thought about this as redemption. But, it's quite good beginning." Sable smirked confidently.  
"You're...too emotional...Sable. Someday...it will kill...you." Cuarto just shrugged.  
"Who cares? Surely not you." Then he took from scabbard second katana slowly, there could be heard quiet, metallic noise. "You're already dead after all." Cuarto slashed with his blade quickly. That was final blow.

The wyvern threw corpse at pile of dry branches. Then, he sent wave of lightning, which lit a fire. This burial wasn't only act of courtesy. Sable had to do something, to don't let Venganza find body and that was the best idea, he had. He cleared katanas by sand and put them to scabbards. Next to him, there was staying Viola. She finally could move again. The ice dragoness took at her back Ciri. Youngster was still unconscious. Cuarto had already offered that he'd carry Froza.  
"Are we going already?" Viola asked him.  
"There's one thing more." Sable sighed deeply. He turned around and watched the forest behind him. "I told you not to follow me, Vixen." He said. The black dragoness giggled. She appeared in front of her friend.  
"Sorry. I was just curious." She stopped smiling and stood in front of Sable. "So what will you do about this? My loyalty to dad demands me to tell him about that." She stated.  
"Well, there's only one solution." Sable grasped sword and touched her throat with blade, before Vixen even managed to move. Youngster watched him with surprise at first and then, she smiled with admiration.  
"This time you won, Sable. You're getting better." She smiled sadly. "So this is, how this all will end? Come on, then. Do it. Kill me. You killed Raigo without any doubts. There shouldn't be problem about me." Vixen was provoking him. Viola watched whole that situation with aghast. She noticed that Sable was fighting with himself in his mind, unsure what to do. Then, he took his paw back and hid his blade.  
"No. Even, if that costs me my life, I won't kill you. I've just said that I have enough of death of innocent persons. That also means you." Vixen giggled. She nuzzled his cheek friendly.  
"You're so sweet. I admit your choice of saving her, Sable. If I were you, I would do exactly this same." She said. Cuarto watched her with disbelief. Vixen just smiled. "I won't say dad a word, I swear." Sable smiled with relief.  
"Thanks."  
"That's nothing. And before I leave, can we two talk?" The black dragoness pointed Viola. The ice dragoness watched her with surprise, but she nodded. "Only we two?" Vixen said with emphasis of first word. The dragoness nodded once more. "Let's take a walk then." Vixen started slowly walking. Viola followed her. The ice dragoness watched the youngster carefully. The black dragoness was very little one, she could hardly believe that someone like her could be left alone in the forest. After hundred meters of silence, Vixen was first to speak.  
"Your name's Viola, right?"  
"Doesn't Sable hear us? Wyverns have good hearing." Viola asked.  
"No, since I'm wind user." Vixen smiled with proud.  
"So what's the problem?" Viola watched her skeptically.  
"Sable is the most precious person, who I ever had. You travel to the dragon city right now so I entrust his safety to you. I swear, if something happens to him, if he doesn't return, I'll break all bones in your body." The black dragoness was deadly serious about that. "Understood?" She grinned childishly, showing her little teeth. Viola swallowed hardly. She was impressed that youngster like Vixen could scare her so much and grin in this way after her words.  
"Well... yeah. I'm not going to offend someone, who saved my life, right?"  
"I'm glad to hear that. Don't misunderstand me, it's nothing personal, I'm just cautious. Well, that's all, so I'll be going now." The black dragoness turned around. "Goodbye, Viola."  
"Goodbye. I guess we won't meet again?" The ice dragoness asked.  
"Who knows? Maybe someday." Vixen straightened wings. "Tell Sable that he doesn't have to hurry with coming back." She jumped in air and flew away. Viola went to Sable. Then she noticed that Ciri already regained her conscious. Sable took Froza at his back.  
"Let's go, lady." Sable suggested. The ice dragoness nodded. She didn't want to remain there any longer. Viola's youngest sister jumped at her back and they all flew away.

Viola was wondering, how to start their conversation for quite long time, before she noticed that it was already midday. She tried to plan every word and to be ready for every answer. Besides, she decided not to tell that Sable knew her attackers, he could fall in trouble because of that. She treated Vixen's words very seriously. Even, if black dragoness was youngster, she seemed to behave matured much more than her equals from city, except that giggles, of course. She was maybe even more mature than Viola was. The ice dragoness took deep breath. She hoped that her plan of conversation would work out.  
"Sable?" The wyvern jerked his head at her with asking sight. "Thank you. You killed someone, who you used to know, just for completely unknown dragoness, your... enemy." She thanked. Sable watched her surprised. He didn't expect any greetings at all.  
"Don't treat me like hero, lady. I did what I had to do to survive. I'm just coward, who cares about himself and saves someone accidentally." He replied.  
"Don't say like that. You appeared from nowhere and protected me from those three wyverns. Coward would just ignore whole that situation. For me, that was heroic." She refused, surprised by his modesty, or rather, contempt to himself.  
"Everyone would do it in situation like that." Sable said. Viola smiled and poked his side.  
"Oh, come on, Sable, admit that you're brave." She pleased.  
"Yeah, you saved us!" Ciri shouted from her sister's back. Cuarto raised his paws and shrugged, showing that he gave up.  
"Alright, alright, I was heroic. For once in my life, I did something right." He said, absolutely not convinced about his words. Viola smiled.  
"Why do you refuse your bravery so much?"  
"You heard, what Raigo said. I let my sister die. I left her alone, when she needed me at most."  
"I'm sorry." Viola realized, she shouldn't have asked about that. Sable's voice was shaking, as he explained that . The ice dragoness really wanted to cheer him up, but she couldn't find right words to do so.  
"No offence, but I don't want to talk about her anymore." Sable pleased. Viola nodded. She understood him well.  
"So, who was that Vixen? I guess that she's normal dragoness?" Viola asked. She not only wanted to change subject of that conversation, she was curious about that too.  
"Yes, she's a dragoness. I know what you're thinking about. It's quite strange that dragoness lives with wyverns. But there are reasons, which I shouldn't explain without her permission, so I can't tell anything more about this."  
"I see. How's that possible that someone so young has behavior, as if she was matured already? Not counting her childish giggle, of course." Viola continued. Sable smiled.  
"She's growing up in completely other circumstances than any other dragon. That's why she's so matured and childish at this same time." Viola wondered, in what kind of circumstances Vixen grew up to become someone like her. Surely very dangerous.  
"So, who is she for you?" Viola continued asking. Sable jerked his head with resentful sight. He didn't like so many questions. He already noticed that dragoness was very curious of him.  
"Don't you think it's quite intimate question?" He asked evasively. Viola jerked her head with surprise.  
"You mean that she's your..." She didn't say last word, but Sable knew, what she meant. Her glare was too meaningful.  
"What? No!" He refused shouting. "Vixen is my best friend! For ancestor's sake, she's just eleven!" Cuarto watched her with indignation and anger. The ice dragoness blushed with embarrassment. "Why when someone says 'intimate', you think about only one thing?" The wyvern asked angrily. Viola felt ashamed of her words. That was situation, which she wanted to avoid so badly.  
"Sorry, I...didn't mean to offend you." She hung her head sadly.  
"But you did it pretty well." Sable replied, but moment later, anger disappeared from his face. "Never mind. It's only my fault, that my words sounded so...suggestive." The wyvern apologized. Viola was so... He simply wasn't able to be mad at her. Ciri watched them both carefully. She didn't understand that situation at all.  
"What did you suggest?" Youngster asked with childish curiosity.  
"You're too young to understand that." Viola replied. Ciri sighed sadly.  
"Why everyone says me that? You're too young, you won't understand... I wish I could be adult already." Viola giggled.  
"Someday you'll regret your words, Ciri." She warned her sister.  
"By the way, how old are you, Viola?" Sable asked.  
"I'm twenty three, I was born in Year of Dragon." The wyvern hissed with disappointment. "And how old are you?" Viola asked.  
"Twenty one." He replied with regrets that he was the younger one. Then, Sable pointed city walls in front of them.  
"Is that your city?" He asked. Viola nodded.  
"That's it. My home." She agreed. Sable sighed deeply. He really enjoyed that short conversation, but he had to come back to Venganza. They all landed about hundred meters from city walls. Sable put Froza on the ground gently.  
"Well, it's time to farewell, lady Viola." Sable bowed characteristically. The ice dragoness smiled sadly.  
"Call me Viola, please." She asked him. Sable nodded. "Can't you stay in city for while? My father would be really happy to meet my savior." The dragoness offered. Cuarto shook his head sadly.  
"Once, I tried to get to one of cities. Do you know what I heard? That I don't deserve to be in dragon city." Sable turned with his back to the dragonesses. "Because I'm a wyvern, scum, savage, who has no rights to appear in so perfect place like this. Even, if so really want to visit the dragon city, I'll never be worth of it." Viola stood in front of him.  
"Anyone said that, he didn't know you at all. You are worth it. And your race has nothing to do with it. It's your heart." The ice dragoness placed paw on his chest, but the wyvern avoided her sight. "You have to start seeing, that you're good-hearted." She tried to persuade him. Ciri watched Sable surprised. She didn't understand at all, why he was going to just leave. "Sable, please, do this favor for me." Viola asked him.  
"Sorry. I have to go." Sable straightened wings, ready for flight. Then, he felt that someone held his leg. He turned around to see Ciri grasping him.  
"Stay with us, please!" Youngster pleased him.  
"For one day, Sable. Is that so big deal for you?" Her older sister pleased. The wyvern watched deeply into Viola's eyes. His heart rate spiked, he felt heat all around his body, his hinder limbs barely stood still, as if he was about to pass out from excitement. In her azure irises, there was something so bewitching that he couldn't describe this. He just couldn't refuse to those beauty eyes.  
"Alright. One day." He said with voice shaking a little. Viola smiled, glad from his choice. She really wanted to spend with Sable as much time, as she could. Even, if he was wyvern, she felt that there was something special about him. She tried to figure out what was it, but it was too complicated to call it. Maybe curiosity or... Meanwhile, Sable tried to explain himself that he agreed just because he always dreamt to spend some time in dragon city. But he knew that his real reason was completely different. That this agreement was going to change his life. Only thing he didn't know was, if this would be change for better, or worse.


	42. Afternoon

Chapter 42. "Afternoon"

Sable yawned deeply, interrupting his story. He was quite exhausted since it was already the middle of night. He looked around in meanwhile, just to make sure that none of Vengantimos was awake.  
"So that's how you got in the city. It went without problems, as I guess?" Vixen asked.  
"Without even the smallest. Froza's wounds weren't dangerous, but she looked terribly, so the guard didn't pay me attention at all." The lightning user explain. "Which raises interesting question."  
"What question?" Vixen watched him curiously.  
"How did you get into the city?" Sable asked.  
"Without problem." The black dragoness lied and her companion knew it too well. He watched her skeptically. "What?" She asked, dumbstruck.  
"The guards let in just like that nine years old dragoness..."  
"I was eleven back then." She argued.  
"But you looked nine." Cuarto noticed. "So, guards let you in just like that? With no question what were you doing outside the city all alone?"  
"They made some troubles..." Vixen agreed reluctantly.

Just eleven years old wind dragoness stood before the city gates. She behaved casually, as if she had been entering this city for hundreds times, even though it was her first time. And she was strolling like that when rapidly, before her, there appeared some city guard. An ice dragon, as he stood before her, put a shadow on little dragoness.  
"Good afternoon. What is such a little dragoness doing outside the city all alone?" He asked, smiling warmly.  
"Little?" Vixen asked with disbelief, raising her head vertically to see his face. She hated being called little and if only it didn't bring more attention, she would scold him. "I'm not little!" She refused firmly. In that moment, she realized that she could simply run under his torso and disappear in crowd of passersby behind him. "Maybe a little." She agreed reluctantly. The guard giggled silently.  
"Where are your parents?" He asked. Vixen shrugged, before she realized that it was a mistake. "Don't you know? Have you lost them?" The black dragoness knew that she had to quickly come up with something.  
"You see..." Her voice trailed off gently, as she started playing. Her eyes turned sad and she lowered those quickly. "I had to look after my little sister and she disappeared." She sighed sadly. I have been looking for her everywhere so I decided to sneak outside the city and look for her there." She explained with voice filled with repentance.  
"I see." The guard sighed deeply. "I'll take you to your parents and we'll look for your sister, shall we?" He suggested. Vixen nodded, wiping out a simple tear and smiled slightly.  
"Thank you." She whispered. She and the guard walked into the city. The black dragoness looked around carefully, watching all the passersby carefully. She hadn't much time. And then, she started running rapidly.  
"Hey!" The guard called her.  
"There you are, sister!" Vixen called some fire dragoness, who seemed to be not more than seven or eight years old. The fir breather stopped, looked around and felt that Vixen was hugging her. "I'm Vixen. Play my sister for a while, could you?" She whispered. The red dragoness nodded quickly.  
"Vixen, there you are!" The dragoness played surprise very naturally. The guard sighed and stood before two girls.  
"So, there's your sister. You better watch out for her next time, will you, child."The male suggested.  
"Yes!" The black dragoness confirmed, nodding.  
"Will you get your home for yourself?" He asked.  
"Yes, we will." The fire breather confirmed. The guard bided them goodbye and dragonesses walked away. Vixen sighed with relief.  
"Thanks, you saved my tail." She thanked.  
"No problem. I'm Tris." The fire breather greeted her. "So, sister, why do you need my help?" She asked half-jokingly.  
"I'd be in serious troubles, if that guard leaded me to my home." Vixen explained.  
"Are you going there right now?" The fire dragoness asked.  
"Mhm." Vixen nodded.  
"So, who are your parents?" Tris asked curiously.  
"I'm orphan, but I'm staying at my some far, far relative right now. You know, I don't have any close family that could take care of me." Vixen said almost honestly, but with no details. Tris watched her carefully and sighed sadly.  
"This same here." She confessed. "I'm orphan as well and my warden is the elder city, Ardora. Maybe you already know her?" Vixen shook her head.  
"No, I'm afraid I don't. I'm new here. Well, I'll be going this way now, see you, Tris!"  
"See you!" Two dragonesses walked into completely opposite directions.

Meanwhile, Viola, Ciri and Sable were slowly walking to dragoness' house. Five minutes earlier, they had left still unconscious Froza in hospital. Cuarto really enjoyed being inside the dragon city. For the first time in life, he could be there without any worries. Everyone around him thought that he was strange dragon, but not wyvern. He couldn't help it, but all those surprised and curious sights of other dragons were quite amusing for him. He knew that he risked a lot. If Douten noticed him, he would be dead. Viola too. He felt creeps, as he thought that she was in danger because of him. He had to protect her. And price of that didn't matter at all. Sable shook his head. He felt strangely. "What's going on with me? Every time I think about her I feel..."  
"We're here, Sable." Viola interrupted his thinking. The wyvern jerked his head curiously, he missed point of her words. "My home." The ice dragoness explained.  
"Oh, right. Sorry, I've been lost in thoughts." Sable apologized. Viola opened door. All three went to house, at first dragonesses, right behind them Sable.  
"Dad, we're home!" Ciri shouted. They heard steps and after several seconds appeared old earth dragon. He smiled, as saw newcomers.  
"You're already back!" He kissed cheeks of two dragonesses. "Where's Froza?" It seemed, he didn't even notice Sable.  
"Well, Froza is..." Viola wanted to say, but Cuarto stood in front of her and interrupted her.  
"I'll explain it." Sable put his right paw at heart and bowed. This was gesture, which his father had taught him. "My name is Sable." Sable introduced himself. Old, earth dragon watched him carefully.  
"I'm Blizzard. So, what happened?" He asked. Sable took deep breath.  
"When your daughters were coming back to the city, they were ambushed by three wyverns. When I arrived, I made them run away, but Froza got hurt. I have some medic skills, so I healed her as well, as I could and we brought her to the hospital." Sable explained. Blizzard wasn't happy with that news, but he knew, it could be worse.  
"I see. Thank you. Tell me, who are you, Sable? You don't look like the most of dragons." Blizzard watched him curiously. Cuarto wondered, if he should say truth.  
"I'm not dragon, but wyvern." Cuarto was brutally honest, didn't even try to lie, though he doubted if that was good idea. The earth dragon watched him with surprise and contempt. Sable understood that he made a mistake. From old dragon's face expression, he understood that there was something personal between Blizzard and wyverns.  
"I hate wyverns more than any creatures that live in the world." The earth dragon said. Sable expected him to shout. "But still, thank you. I don't know, what I would do without my daughters. They're all I have." Cuarto smiled with relief.  
"Dad, can Sable stay in our house for night?" Viola asked. Blizzard watched her surprised. He didn't except that question at all.  
"Please, dad!" Ciri gave her father begging sight. Blizzard smiled and poked her head.  
"Fine, he can stay, if he only wants." He allowed, though very reluctantly. He knew that neither of his daughters would forgive him, if he didn't.  
"I already agreed, Mr. Blizzard." Cuarto said, he turned at Viola. "Viola, could you show me a city? I never had opportunity like that." Viola nodded, feeling her heart leaping in joy.  
"I'll be going then, dad." She said. Sable bowed slightly. Next, he and Viola turned around and started walking to door.  
"I'm going with you!" Ciri was about to run with them, but her father stopped her.  
"You're staying here, young lady." He stated. "You have here nasty scratch and I have to parcel it, or you may have infection." Ciri sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. Viola smiled with pity.  
"We'll wait for you in park." She promised. Young dragoness smiled, as she heard that.  
"Thanks."  
"No problem." Viola and Sable left house. "Let's go. I'm sure that you'll love the park." The dragoness watched him fascination. She didn't know, why, but she enjoyed fact that she was only with him, as if appearing of anyone would spoil ambience. "What's happening to me?" She asked herself in mind. "All my thoughts about him are so... I've never felt like that." She said to herself. She couldn't know that Sable wondered about exactly this same thing.

"There we are." Viola giggled as she saw aghast wyvern. "I guess, you have never seen something like that, huh?" Sable shook his head. All around him was so many old willows that they were putting shadow on almost entire park, only here and there were small spots of sunny light. There were several sandy paths, between which, there was growing low grass and tens of flowers of all colors of rainbow. Across whole park, there was slowly swilling small stream. There were several wooden bridges above it. And yet, though surrounded by beautiful nature, Cuarto kept glaring only at Viola, enjoying her beauty in changing sunlight. They sat at some bridge. Sable took deep breath to feel aroma of flowers filling his nostrils.  
"This place is so...romantic." Sable said, before he bit his tongue. He simply couldn't help it, this park had such an aura that it couldn't be described with any other words. Viola blushed a bit.  
"Yeah, it's one of most favorite place of couples to meet." The ice dragoness agreed. Then she understood, how it sounded. "I don't suggest anything of course." She quickly improved that, though something in her heart was giving its best to don't tell those words.  
"Neither do I." Sable agreed with her. They both laughed, a little nervously. "You have real talent to embarrass me." The lightning user admitted.  
"Already noticed." Viola said. "You have it as well."  
"Can I ask you question? I warn, it's quite personal." Sable asked. Viola nodded immediately. "Why your father... and you... hate wyverns so much? Have you met any of them?" The dragoness sighed sadly, but she answered.  
"Six years ago, when Ciri was about to hatch, I and mom were coming back to our home from north. At the border of wyverns' territory, we were attacked by one of them. He killed my mom, but spared my life." She really wanted to avoid this question. Not only because talking about that was painful for her, but she was also worried, how would wyvern react for it.  
"I'm sorry. If I can do anything..."  
"No, that's fine." She refused. "That's not your fault at all." She smiled. "And besides, I hate watching you sad." She didn't want Sable to blame himself for that.  
"I can say exactly this same about you." Sable replied, still feeling guilty. Viola smiled and raised her eyes at willow above them. She loved to spend time there.  
"I really like you, Sable. Can't you stay in city for longer? Dad wouldn't mind at all." She offered. In fact, she realized that she was finding Sable somehow different than other males. She only lacked words to explain it.  
"I wish I could, but duty calls. Trust me, if not that, I'd spend with you even whole my life. If only you wished so, of course." Sable assured her. Viola blushed with embarrassment and giggled silently.  
"That's quite far-reaching offer, don't you think?" She noticed. "I've never heard any male declaring something like this to me." She smiled coquettishly. She really enjoyed that conversation, even though it sounded so.. surrealistic.  
"And I've never before met dragoness that beautiful, so I could declare it to her." He answered, grinning to her. Then he cursed himself in his mind.  
"That's enough." Sable said in his mind. "What's going on with me? I know, I've never been really self-possessed. But still, I would never risk talking like that to her, if I wasn't in..." Sable glared deeply into her eyes. Then, he understood. "...in love. No way. I'm in love with dragoness from the very first sight?" That was so ironic for him, that he barely stopped himself from bursting out with loud laugh. But he knew that it was truth, he could feel it from the very first moment he saw her. It only took hima while to understand this feeling. "I have to stop this." He realized. "If there appeared some serious bond between us, we wouldn't keep it in secret for very long. And if Primero found this out, she would be killed. Knowing him, he would order me to do it." Sable felt creeps, as he thought about that. Viola noticed that Sable was thinking very intensively. "To protect her, I can't tell her a word about my feelings." Sable decided. The dragoness poked his side.  
"Something happened?" She asked with worries. Cuarto shook his head.  
"Nothing serious. Just so many new things at such short time... I'm feeling dizzy from greatness of your city." He bluffed with hope that she didn't know about that. To his relief, it worked out.  
"There are much bigger cities, like Warfang." Viola noticed.  
"But no one of them has such beautiful sapphire like you." Sable replied and smiled, meanwhile cursing himself in his mind. The dragoness watched him surprised, trying to hide that she was blushing. She didn't expect answer like that at all.  
"Oh, my. You know, how to compliment." She admitted.  
"I'm just saying, what I think." Again, Sable didn't bite his tongue in time. Viola didn't know what pushed her to nuzzle him, enjoying this touch of his gentle scales of face, even if it lasted for only several seconds.  
"You're so cute." She whispered. Sable swallowed hardly, knowing that keeping that rate, soon, he would say something way too suggestive. He was about to reply, when, to his relief, between them appeared Ciri.  
"Come on, Viola! Are you going to spend here whole day?" Ciri asked, obviously amused that she interrupted their conversation. Viola was about to give her snappish reply, annoyed with her appearance, but she bit her tongue in time. All three of them left park, but Viola seemed not to hurry at all, neither Sable did. Dragonesses planned to show the wyvern whole city before the sunset. From that point, Sable had no opportunity to be all alone with Viola. He acknowledged that with relief almost as overwhelming as Viola's grief, as she understood that. The azure dragoness was confused completely by now, since she couldn't explain that feeling at all.

Sun blinded Sable, as he turned his sight from Viola. It was already afternoon. For third time in last five minutes, he noticed that he was glaring at Viola in the way, he definitely shouldn't. The wyvern shook his head. He could see that Viola somehow changed her behavior since her sister was around, as if she involuntarily preferred to be only with Sable. Meanwhile, Viola was thinking intensively what was going on in her head, trying to figure out why was she so sad that Ciri was with them. She liked her sister. She could be annoying brat sometimes, but it wasn't the point. Besides the wyvern was still accompanying her, so she had no rational reason to be sad and yet... Sable turned his head from Viola quickly once more. He felt that his own body didn't listen to him at all. Ciri noticed his movement.  
"Something happened?" She asked.  
"No, it's just..." He was trying to explain himself.  
"Viola? That's you?" Someone interrupted Sable's words. All three turned around to see a lightning dragon. "Of course, it's you." He embraced Viola friendly and poked Ciri's head. "Good to see you, girls."  
"Hi Ray. Long time no see, huh?" Viola greeted him. Then, she pointed wyvern. "This is Sable, my new friend." Two males greeted each other. "Sable, this is Ray, my friend since childhood and also elder of city."  
"It's pleasure to meet you, Ray." The wyvern watched yellow dragon carefully. He was his equal, maybe a year or two older. He could swear that they've met already, but couldn't remind, when. It looked like Ray had exactly this same feeling.  
"No offence, but aren't elders older?" Sable asked. Ray laughed silently.  
"Normally yes, but I inherited this title from my father, who died half year ago. After proving that I deserve for my father's legacy, I became elder." Sable was surprised that he didn't notice any sorrow in Ray's voice. Cuarto wouldn't speak so easily about his sister.  
"Don't you speak about your father too lightly?" Sable asked. Ray shook his head.  
"At first, I was crushed, but I have to live further, not to give up because of tragedy, right?" Ray replied. Then, some idea appeared in his head. "You aren't ordinary dragon, Sable. I've never seen any one that would be..."  
"...bipedal. And using swords. Not speaking of those strange scales, absolutely not typical for dragon." Sable quickly enumerated, as if he had been through this for hundreds times. "It's long story about my hurtful childhood and I won't bore you with it." To Sable's relief, Ray understood allusion.  
"Fine, I'm not going to ask anymore. What's your element? Earth?" Sable shook his head.  
"Lightning." He said. Ray smiled with satisfaction.  
"I always say that lightning is the best element. The fastest and unstoppable." Viola rolled her eyes with annoyance. That was only thing, which she hated about Ray. His pride.  
"I think that all elements are at similar level. Every of them have advantages and disadvantages." Sable refused.  
"So there's no strongest element?" The elder asked, obviously disappointed with those words.  
"Not exactly. I think, the best one is ice. When you're fighting against someone, who can freeze your feet to the ground, it's easy to make mistake." As he finished, Sable glared stealthily at Viola to see her reaction, cursing himself meanwhile. The ice dragoness blushed gently. She couldn't help that she loved all that compliments. Ray noticed that sight, even if it lasted for shorter than twinkle of eye. The lightning dragon smiled slightly, as in his mind appeared some suspicion. Then, he interrupted silence speaking to Viola.  
"Where's Froza? I thought, she came back to city with you."  
"We had an accident in time of journey. Sable came to help us just in time. He's medic, so he healed Froza and now she's in hospital. Nothing endangers her already, but she remains unconscious."  
"Too bad, I wanted to greet her right when she would appear in city."  
"She'll leave hospital any moment, you don't have to be worried about that." Viola assured him.  
"I'm not worried. She's strong. She'll be fine. Can I talk face to face with you, Viola?" The lightning dragon noticed Sable's annoyed eyes and smiled slightly. He was right about the newcomer. Viola also wasn't happy about that question, but she nodded.  
"Yeah, there's no problem." She admitted with such a voice that Ray knew there was a problem about it.  
"Sable, don't wait for her. It will take us a while." Ray informed the wyvern. Then, wyvern felt that Ciri pulled his arm.  
"So I'll show you our library and building of elders." She suggested. Sable nodded.  
"Lead me then." She agreed with gentle hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Ciri?" The wyvern called her. Youngster jerked her head curiously at Sable. "Could you tell me, who is Ray for Viola?" He asked.  
"Well, he's her best friend. Why do you ask?" Ciri watched Sable curiously.  
"No reason. I just wanted to know." He replied. He wasn't going to tell anything that kid.  
"Why are you making eyes at my sister?" The youngster asked.  
"Wh...What do you mean?" Sable didn't know, what to say. Though he could speak dragon's language quite well, there still were phrases, which he didn't understand, like that one. Youngster rolled her eyes.  
"Something like...that." Then, she parodied Sable's loving sight, which he'd give Viola when he thought she wasn't watching. Sable stood still and Ciri laughed loudly watching his aghast. "Don't stay like that, Sable. Come on." Ciri continued walking. The wyvern blushed, as he caught up with her. He didn't expect so young dragoness to embarrass him just like that. After several seconds of silence, he tried to argue with her.  
"I don't watch Viola like that." Sable refused.  
"Yes, you do." Ciri said stubbornly. Sable shook his head.  
"No, I don't."  
"Yes, you do."  
"No, I don't."  
"Yes, you do. Every time, when she turns around, you watch her like that." Sable sighed deeply. He couldn't disagree.  
"Fine, you're right." He admitted. "But don't tell about it anyone, understood?" He added quickly. Ciri sighed sadly.  
"Froza would be so amused, if she heard that. And Tris would torture Viola for months..." Young dragoness started.  
"Ciri!" Sable watched her with deadly serious sight.  
"Fine, fine." Ciri agreed, though very reluctantly. "Sable, where's your home?" She asked after a moment. Cuarto jerked his head surprised with that question.  
"I live in forest, we're often changing place of our camp." He explained.  
"But there's some place, where you come back to, right? Dad says that everyone has place, which he can call home. Everyone." Ciri emphasized last word, absolutely convinced that she was right. Sable smiled sadly, somehow envy about her ignorance.  
"Well, there used to be a place like that. But I can't come back there anymore. It's not my home anymore." Sable said.  
"Why?" Youngster watched him with surprise.  
"Because in place, which you call home, there always lives someone, who you call family. And I've lost them all." Suddenly, his heart started sinking lower and lower, his eyes became wet. He knew that it would take him at least several years to stop crying every time he mentioned about his family. He hated being so emotional.  
"Are you crying?" Ciri asked. Sable shook his head and quickly wiped tear out from his eye.  
"That's only the rain." He refused. Ciri watched the sky. There was no simple cloud. Though she knew, he lied her, she had a feeling that she shouldn't ask about that anymore.


	43. Evening

Chapter 43. "Evening"

Ray and Viola landed at some small hill just a kilometer from the city. Right behind their backs, there was growing an old apple tree. Its branches and leaves were putting shadow on them. The lightning dragon smiled to his friend.  
"You know, this place is very special to me." He said. Viola looked like she would prefer to fly to the city, or rather to Sable, immediately.  
"It's beautiful hill, but there are many much lovelier places even in city." The azure dragoness noticed.  
"But no one really knows of this one. It's not a place where someone will disturb you. But this place has something more. That's where I confessed my love to Lyrian." Ray laughed silently, as he reminded that happening. "I've never expected it to be so...surprising."  
"What surprising may be at your own confession? You say those beautiful words of yours and she answers yes or no. No offence." Viola noticed. Ray smiled.  
"If everything was as schematic as you say, life would be boring. Every confession is different, there aren't two the same. You know, what was Lyrian's reaction when I said that?" Viola shook her head and shrugged." She slapped me in my face speaking 'What is wrong with you?' and after several seconds kissed." The ice dragoness laughed.  
"Five most scaring seconds of your life, huh?" She guessed. Ray nodded. "She had to be completely confused at first."  
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll never understand you, girls."  
"Why are you telling me this all?" Viola asked curiously. Ray smiled. That was time to say those words.  
"Who is Sable?" He asked.  
"The dragon, who saved us." Viola replied quickly. It was answer, which she had already prepared. Ray sighed deeply.  
"Who is he for you?" He continued asking. Viola rolled her eyes. Wasn't that obvious?  
"A friend. Someone that I like, but he'll have to leave tomorrow and we may never meet again."  
"You really regret that." The lightning dragon noticed.  
"And wouldn't you? I hate separations and farewells." Viola asked, watching her friend curiously. She was still missing what he was trying to imply.  
"Me too." Ray thought about his father, but shook his head don't letting sorrowful thoughts overwhelm him. "I have some feeling that... How to explain it..." Viola rolled her eyes. She didn't want to stick there like that, but to see Sable.  
"Oh, just spit it out!" She hated to wait in her situation.  
"Well, I think that you feel something more to Sable than just a friendship." Ray noticed. Viola watched at him surprised.  
"You mean..." Viola interrupted, as she realized what he meant. Ray nodded. She blushed with embarrassment. "No way. I can't...That's impossible that..." She tried to refuse, stumbling. Some part of her mind was whispering her that it was truth. But the other found that thought odd, repulsive.  
"Come on, say it." The lightning dragon encouraged her, watching her abashment not without amusement.  
"I simply can't love him!" Viola shouted. She was angry that he suggested such strange for her thing.  
"Why? Don't you believe that there exists something like love at first sight? Or is bipedality of his so repulsive?" Ray asked with accusatory voice. Viola watched him completely dumbstruck. She couldn't understand why so intelligent dragon was babbling like an idiot.  
"That's not it! Sable is..." She stopped for while, unsure, if she should say that. "Promise that you won't tell anyone." Ray nodded slightly. "He's not certainly dragon more wyvern, something like hybrid of dragon and wyvern. How could I love him?" The lightning dragon rolled his eyes with annoyance. He was surprised by Sable's true identity, but he didn't let Viola notice that.  
"Because love is blind, Viola. And you shouldn't regret your feelings to him. You have love written all over your face." The elder noticed.  
"What are you talking about?" The ice dragoness jerked her head with surprise.  
"For example your loving sighs, which you give him every time, when you think no one looks." Viola blushed a bit. She just watched him curiously, even if stealthily. Were those sights this suggestive? She sighed deeply. Ray was right and in the bottom of her heart she knew it from the very beginning. But still, some part of her mind couldn't agree with that.  
"Yes, I may love him. But still, he's a wyvern. I can't be in such a relationship with someone, who doesn't even belong to my race." She argued.  
"Haven't you noticed yet that he's already more dragon than wyvern? He may call himself wyvern, but look at his body. And heart. He's already almost dragon. I'm sure that he's able to finish mutation. If you give him a reason."  
"But does he love me? What if I'm just lying myself that he reciprocates my feelings to him?" Viola worried. Ray smiled and poked her back.  
"You don't have to worry about that part at all. He loves you. I heard all his complements in park, so I don't doubt at all. Besides, he behaves exactly as you do." He assured her. The dragoness jerked her head at him with disbelief.  
"Were you spying on us?" Viola asked with blaming voice. Ray blushed with embarrassment. "So this is another characteristic thing about lightning dragons. Boundless curiosity." The ice dragoness noticed with growing annoyance.  
"Already noticed. From your face I see, what you are planning. And you know..." Ray started. Then, Viola kissed his cheek friendly. She was overwhelmed with joy. So that was that feeling she felt towards Sable! Love! She wanted to laugh cheerfully aloud, as she finally realized that. She felt she was the happiest dragoness in the whole world! All that she had to do was confessing her love to Sable to fulfill her joy, so she would never more be alone! Oh, it seemed so simply.  
"Thanks, Ray. I always can count on you." She thanked the elder. He smiled and blushed gently.  
"That's what friends are for. Do you already understand why I brought you here?" He asked. Viola nodded. "So I'm not stopping you anymore. Fly to your fiancé." Ray suggested. Viola watched him surprised.  
"He's not my fiancé." She noticed.  
"Oh, I doubt if you'll say this same tomorrow." Ray smiled to her. "Good luck. And don't tell Lyrian about that kiss. She would be mad at me." Viola laughed with pity.  
"Life with her isn't bed of roses, huh?" Viola straightened her wings. "Bye, Ray. Thanks for everything."

Sable and Ciri were staying in front of library, when Viola caught up with them.  
"Sable, Ciri, look, who I brought." They turned around to notice Froza staying next to her older sister. Youngster ran to her and hugged her, happy that she was fine. Froza watched carefully Sable, who stood in front of her.  
"So you are Sable. Thank you for saving us." She wasn't surprised with Sable's appearance, so wyvern guessed that Viola explained her, who he was. Cuarto bowed characteristically.  
"All the pleasure is mine, Froza." If Viola didn't admonish him earlier, Sable would surely call her 'lady'. "Are you fine already?" Sable asked, concerned.  
"Well, I should rest right now, but I wouldn't forgive myself, if I didn't meet my savior." Froza explained.  
"We shouldn't stay here like that." Viola said. "There still are many places to show our guest." Her sisters nodded and all four of them started walking. Ciri went to her oldest sister.  
"Viola? What did Ray say you?" She asked curiously.  
"It's not your business."  
"Oh, come on..." Ciri pleased.  
"Just some obvious facts." Viola smiled mysteriously to herself.

Until the evening, to Sable's relief and disappointment of Viola's, their two had no opportunity to be all alone. After the sunset, all four of them came back to dragonesses' house. They were just in time, because Blizzard had just finished making dinner. As they all were eating, elder of city was watching the wyvern carefully.  
"Tell me Sable, what do you think about our city?" The wyvern swallowed quickly and almost choked.  
"It's impressive. Today, I understood that dragons have very different life than wyverns."  
"And how do wyverns live?" Blizzard asked.  
"I used to live in system of great caves at the northwest, far away from any dragons. In Celeste Tribu, you may recognize this name." Viola and her father nodded." My race, well, the most of them, lives in great caves. Sometimes, like in my home, there are thousands of wyverns. And we don't choose elders like you. We have our Señor de la Tribu..." Sable smiled, as he watched surprised faces of dragons. "...Lord of the Tribe, that is. He's a king, to be precise. Yes, I think it's the best translation." Froza watched him surprised.  
"Translation? Do wyverns use another language?" She asked. Her older sister knew pretty much about the northern wyverns, but she didn't.  
"Wyverns of south, who served Malefor, use only dragon's language. Wyverns of north, like me, have their own language. But, to keep an alliance with rest of our race, the most important members of every tribe learns also language of southern wyverns, dragon's language, that is."  
"The most important?" Viola asked, even though she perfectly knew it. "So who are you, Sable?" She wondered. Sable's name seemed somehow familiar to her, as he mentioned it.  
"I'm banished member of royal family." He said. Sable didn't want anyone to ask about that anymore and all dragons understood that. Blizzard interrupted awkward silence, which remained for several seconds after that question.  
"So, what have you seen in our city?"  
"We were in..." Ciri tried to answer, but Viola interrupted her.  
"Let Sable answer." She said, electrifying her sister with sight. Youngster rolled her eyes and nodded.  
"They've shown me park, library and building of elders." Sable smiled nervously, as he thought about that place. He barely managed not to be noticed by Douten, who was just leaving it. "There were also several other buildings, but I couldn't really remember those names." He explained himself. Viola started enumerating her father the rest of the places. Then, Sable interrupted her.  
"I apologize, but I need to be alone for while." The wyvern stood up. "Thank you for dinner, Mr. Blizzard." Then he turned at dragonesses. "I'll be waiting for you in Viola's room." He turned around and went to stairs. Blizzard watched his guest leaving.  
"Girls, you couldn't have chosen odder savior. The mutant wyvern, who speaks both our and their languages and whose intelligence is compared to dragon's. Not a dragon, but already not a wyvern. And he's from noble family. You know, he should consider writing his autobiography. It would become really popular. If anyone believed so incredible story." Three girls laughed silently. Sable, who heard that words, smiled to himself slightly.  
"He's not odd, dad." Viola disagreed to her father's opinion. "He's unique."

Sable walked slowly to the window. "Sorry Viola. It's for your own good." He hated to disappear without farewell, but if he gave her opportunity to be alone once more, there would happen something that he wanted to avoid. He straightened wings ready to fly, when sudden blow of wind threw him at opposite wall. At the railing of balcony, there dexterously landed small black dragoness. She was angry. Very angry.  
"This is your kindness?!" Vixen jumped at the floor and stood in front of him. "Breaking promise? Disappearing without even simple 'goodbye'? You should be ashamed of yourself!" She blamed him, shouting. Sable watched floor, trying to avoid her glare. But still, he exactly knew, what was it like.  
"What are you doing here, Vixen?" He asked silently. The dragoness gave him electrifying sight.  
"And how do you think?! Stopping yourself from making the worst choice in your entire life!" She was mad at Sable like never before.  
"I'm doing this for Viola's safety..." Sable argued. Vixen watched her best friend with disbelief.  
"Safety?! My tail, safety!" She burst out. Only thing, which didn't let dragons hear her, were Vixen's wind abilities. "You're such an idiot. She loves you, Sable and don't tell me that you haven't noticed that! And what will she do, once she discovers your disappearing?! She will look after you and end up getting caught by Venganza!" Sable flushed with embarrassment. "That's what you want to achieve? Her..."  
"No." Sable raised his head and glared at Vixen with regret. "You're right. That was reckless." The black dragoness smiled. He finally understood. "I'll stay here, as I promised her, but I'm not going to confess her my real feelings."  
"Finally, some wise words left your jaws. But speaking of feelings, you should consider that part." Her face expression changed. She wasn't angry anymore. "Sorry for shouting, but I guess there was no another way to get through with it to you." Vixen apologized.  
"I deserved it. Were you following me?" Sable asked.  
"For entire day." The black dragoness giggled watching his embarrassment. "Your compliments are so cute." She noticed.  
"You heard all of them?" Sable begged in his mind, she would say no.  
"Yes." She looked around Viola's room. "By the way, she has nice house. I think I'm jealous." She said watching around, rather to herself than to him. "Well, I'll be going now. I don't want to interrupt your wonderful moments with your beloved Viola." She giggled silently. "Sable, stop doubting and just go for it."  
"What do you mean?" Sable asked, already knowing the answer. Vixen grinned mysteriously.  
"Absolutely nothing." She lied through her teeth and Sable knew that. The black dragoness could be very young, but she was pretty clever, as for her age. She turned around and walked to railing. "See you, Sable." She straightened wings and jumped into darkness of city, almost immediately disappearing from his sight.  
Several minutes later, to room, there came Viola.  
"Come on. There's something, I want to show you." She went to window. It was obvious that she was going to leave house without telling about that anyone. Viola watched Sable, who didn't make a move. "Hurry up and follow me. I told Froza and Ciri to don't let dad know that I disappeared for an hour, so we don't have much time." Sable nodded and they both flew from house through the window.  
"So she found an opportunity." Sable said to himself with disbelief. When they flew above city walls, Sable watched sky. There was no simple cloud. After quite long flight in complete silence, they landed and sat under the apple tree at top of small hill. They were sitting, leaning against a tree and watching moons. Viola and Sable were so close to each other that they were almost cuddling. They enjoyed romantic atmosphere in silence long enough to lose track of time. After long wondering, Viola spoke.  
"Sable?"  
"Huh?"  
"At the dinner you said that you were someone important in your tribe. Who exactly?"  
"Member of royal family." Sable replied tersely. He said too much already.  
"And more precisely?" Viola asked inquisitively.  
"My father, Sueño, was Señor de la Tribu, until day, when he and my mother were murdered and I ran away from my home not to be killed too." Sable's voice lowered a bit, Viola noticed that she shouldn't have asked about that.  
"I've heard of that incident. My mother used to be an envoy between dragon cities and the Celeste Tribu, I'd often travel there with her." Then, the dragoness smiled slightly. "So that's how I knew your name from somewhere. You were that prince, always disappearing with his sister when the dragon envoys would come. You not really like dragons, do you?"  
"I do like dragons." Sable disagreed. "It's just I have terrible timing. Thinking of this now, I've talked to your mother once or twice. She had terribly sharp tongue, didn't she?" He noticed. Viola giggled.  
"That's true, especially when someone was looking down upon her. She hated it." She confirmed. "Have you ever had a mate?" She asked to change subject of conversation.  
"That's even more intimate question than that one about Vixen." Sable noticed. They both laughed, reminding their conversation while the flight to the city. "I've never had mate, only fiancé. It was arranged marriage. I never met any female, I'd really feel that I love her." He barely bit his tongue in time not to finish sentence with words "until now". "Have you?" He asked curiously.  
"Me neither. All dragons who I've been ever considering as mates are missing something that I can't call." She said. Sable nodded. He felt exactly this same way.  
"I know this feeling. My father used to say that all of us have someone destined for us. Such two halves, if fit properly, would create perfect union. The communion of souls. The trick is to find that person." Sable smiled to Viola.  
"Oh, it's so beautiful vision. So... romantic." The ice dragoness said with dreamy voice. Sable nodded, agreeing with her.  
"Problem is that finding this person isn't so easy." The wyvern noticed.  
"Yup, sometimes it's a person that we'd never expect to be this one. But joy of finding your beloved is unspeakable." Viola glared into his eyes. Her heart was leaping in euphoria. Sable noticed her sight. He knew, what that meant.  
"You're talking, as if you've already experienced that." He noticed. The ice dragoness giggled and blushed slightly.  
"Mhm. I'm enjoying this state at this very moment." She smiled watching flushing cheeks of wyvern. Then, she pressed her lips to his. Her passionate kiss remained for unspeakably joyful moment. Though Sable's mind told him to do so, he didn't oppose. "I love you, Sable." Viola whispered, as their lips disconnected.  
The wyvern was completely dumbstruck for a second. He had planned everything earlier. He exactly knew how to explain Viola, why they couldn't be together without breaking her heart. His plan was perfect. Almost. Sable forgot about only one thing. That when there's love involved, heart never listens mind.  
The wyvern kissed dragoness back. They started hugging lovely each other and fell on the ground. Then, they rolled down from hill and stopped in long green grass. Eventually, Viola was laying at Sable, who enjoyed her beauty in the moonlight, both laughing silently. He smiled to her. "I love you too, Viola. I love you too." He nuzzled her and they pressed their lips in vehement kiss once more. He didn't care, how would that end up, he didn't regret anything. For once in his life, he was happy.

Viola opened her eyes slowly. She was lying in her room, as she realized. "Was that just dream?" She wondered. Then she heard Sable's breath. He was lying right next to her, his wing was covering her with protectiveness. "No, it really happened." She acknowledged that with joyous relief. She stood up trying to don't wake Sable up and kissed him. At that moment, she noticed that in front of her, there were staying her sisters. The thing that really worried her was that Ciri was grinning.  
"No way. Sable's your boy..." Youngster started.  
"Of course not." Froza interrupted. "That couldn't happen." Then she doubted her words. "Could it?" Viola just giggled in reply.  
"Yes, it could." She said and nuzzled Sable. "I love Sable." Then, Ciri giggled and started singing.  
"Viola loves Sable, Viola loves Sable..." She was walking around the room and singing like a little girl. Viola jumped to her, closed her jaws with paw, not even trying to be gentle. Her father couldn't hear that news.  
"Silence!" She hissed. "Dad can't know about that. Understood?" Viola gave the youngest sister terrifying sight. Ciri nodded quickly, actually scared.  
"Promised." Froza said, before she was asked. "You know that you can't keep it in secret for long."  
"I don't plan to do so." Viola lied. Froza sighed deeply and shook her head, having very bad feelings about that.

Next morning passed very quickly. Neither Sable or Viola even noticed, when it turned into the midday and they were staying at the city walls, about to part.  
"Well, I guess, it's time to say goodbye, huh?" Viola said and smiled sadly.  
"Looks like." The wyvern agreed. "I wish we had more time." Sable sighed sadly.  
"Me too. So, when will we meet again?" Viola asked with hope.  
"Face to face? I have no idea, I won't have much time. But, I'll be sending you letters."  
"That's so romantic..." She smiled lovingly and nuzzled him. Then, her voice changed. "Sable, do we have any chance for normal life?" She asked with worries. Sable shrugged.  
"I believe so. I'll find the way to become dragon. I'll abandon Venganza and we'll live together. Forever." He promised. Viola kissed Sable passionately. She wished that those several seconds would never end. But reality was brutal.  
"Farewell, Sable." She whispered.  
"Farewell, Viola." Though he would love to stay a little longer, he knew that he couldn't. Sable straightened his wings rapidly. Blow of the air dispelled dust lying on the ground. Sable jumped in the air and started beating his wings. Sable wiped out last tear from his eye. Tear of both joy and sadness. Meanwhile, Viola was watching her beloved flying away. She felt a blow of wind coming from the city. With dust and leaves, it brought to Viola melody.  
"The walls built between us, miles separate us,  
Yet in our hearts, we share this same dream.  
Feeling so strong, we just must carry on,  
On to our magical world...  
Fear not, poor lady, your lover's calling,  
He's waiting for you, at the end of the song..."  
The song continued and the ice dragoness enjoyed its uplifting words. Viola was sure that she had heard that voice recently, but she couldn't recall, where. She smiled to herself slightly, listening it. She had feeling that it was sung especially for her. She knew that long time would pass, before she and her beloved would meet once more. She didn't even notice when Ray came and stood right next to her. He didn't ask her what had happened, but he just smiled. Her face expression explained him everything.


	44. Fate of lovers

Chapter 44. "Fate of lovers"

Vixen was sitting at the cliff in the moonlight and watching moons, when Sable sat next to her. He had no swords on his back, which meant he had just finished his training.  
"Hi, Sable." The black dragoness greeted him. "What's wrong?" She asked.  
"There's nothing wrong." Sable refused quickly. A little too quickly. Vixen watched her friend skeptically.  
"Don't even try to lie me. Something's bothering you, you have it written all over your face." The black dragoness said suspiciously.  
"When I spoke with Icey, he didn't notice anything." Sable argued though he knew he already lost.  
"Icey may be your friend, but he doesn't know you as well as I do." Vixen riposted. "So, what can I do for you?" She asked. Sable sighed deeply. There was no point in mincing his words anymore.  
"I need you to get me out from the camp. Just for several hours." He explained.  
"Why do you always make me do something against dad's will?" Vixen asked resentfully. "I hate lying to him."  
"It's the very last time. Please." Sable begged her. "I need to meet her." Vixen giggled.  
"You're so cute, when you're pleasing. Of course, I'll help you. Tomorrow at the morning dad leaves camp so come to me two hours after the sunrise. You'll have time to the very evening." Vixen assured her friend.  
"I owe you a great fa..." Sable wanted to thank her, when the black dragoness interrupted him .  
"Don't thank, my desperately in love friend, I heard it so many times from you that it's not even funny anymore." The black dragoness grinned, as Sable gave her annoyed sight.

Viola felt a blow of warm wind against her face and then, a drip of water fell at her jaw, waking her up. She opened her eyes slowly and watched around with sleepy, tired sight. She was sitting under the apple tree and it was about the midday already. She came there at the morning to watch cloudy sky, all alone. She had met Sable almost four years earlier. To final battle of Venganza and guardians there left only one week. Douten who she used to know was gone, he betrayed dragons to get Tremor and Cynder. Vengeance corrupted his soul so much that he intended to kill her. He blackmailed her, so she couldn't tell anyone about that. And if that was not enough, she had no idea, if Sable would survive encounter of wyverns and dragons. And there were also guardians. She knew Tremor and Flame for years and she already started liking the others too. And they all were endangered. Viola hated that situation. She hated fact that she couldn't do anything, she didn't bring help, but needed it all the time. Helplessness. And never-ending waiting with hope for better tomorrow. She hated that, but she couldn't do anything. If she was at least an ice guardian...  
Viola heard steps behind her. She slowly turned around expecting Ray or Lyrian. Or both of them. After all, they were the ones, who discovered that place. But she was wrong. Her eyes opened widely in surprise. "No way." She whispered. But there was no doubt about that. No one else, who she knew was bipedal. No one had so characteristic katanas. No one could bow in front of her like that. In this characteristic pose, which would always fascinate her so much.  
"Good morning, my lady." Sable smiled to her, but Viola thought that there was something sad hidden within it for a second. The ice dragoness opened her jaws in aghast.  
"Sable." She whispered, not believing her eyes. They ran to each other and met in halfway. Viola cuddled him and kissed him passionately. "I thought, you would never come." She said, wiping out a tear of joy.  
"Sorry that I made you wait so long." Sable felt his heart leaping in joy.  
"All that matters is that you're here." Viola replied. Wyvern and dragoness, whose lives had been merged by the most powerful bond that ever existed. Love. And now, after so long time, it happened. The reunion.

"How have you spent this time?" Viola asked her lover curiously. They were sitting under apple tree and watching clouds for two hours already. Sable, thanks for Vixen, escaped from camp without Primero's permission. He had to meet with Viola.  
"Training, learning, waiting for opportunity to meet with you. And you?" He asked. Viola just smiled.  
"Normal life. Almost. Whole this waiting is unbearable." Viola explained. Sable nodded, he hated that as well.  
"Indeed, it is." He agreed.  
"Ciri and Froza know about us, but they didn't tell it anyone." The ice dragoness said.  
"And your father?" Sable asked, already guessing what her answer was going to be.  
"I didn't tell him." Viola said. "He hates wyverns from bottom of his heart, even you, so if he heard that there's something between us..." She didn't finish her sentence, but it wasn't hard for Sable to figure out the ending. "How is Vixen doing?" Viola watched her lover curiously.  
"Quite well. She has some problems with Atroz, but after kicking his tail once or twice more, he'll stop fussing her permanently. Trust me, it's just the matter of time."  
"I see, but that's not, what I meant. The thing, I wanted to ask about was her love life." Viola explained, watching her beloved with fascination. She enjoyed every word of their chit-chat as if it was some unspeakable pleasure.  
"Love life?" Sable jerked his head curiously. "Don't you think that's quite intimate question?" He asked. They both laughed and Viola blushed slightly, as she recalled awkwardness she had caused years ago hearing that question.  
"So?" She watched in his eyes deeply, practically hypnotizing Sable. "Won't you tell me?" She asked with hint of disappointment.  
"This must be some kind of dark magic, because I simply can't refuse to you." Sable said to himself, shaking his head with disbelief. Viola smiled slightly. "Vixen... She has no love life, like the most of Vengantimos. She's too deeply absorbed with filling her father's orders to fall in love with anyone. Or she's hiding it pretty well. She may play a little flirtatiously towards some dragons, but I doubt, if there are any serious feelings behind her behavior." Sable explained.  
"Well, from what I heard from guardians, she kissed Spyro." Viola noticed.  
"She did." Sable agreed. "You should have seen his face back then." Both of them laughed.  
"I heard that you fought against Stella." Viola changed subject of the conversation.  
"Fought? I'd call it sparring. Neither of us was serious about that. Well, not counting the fact that Stella really wanted me to stay here for a little longer." Sable smiled slightly.  
"At the beginning, you almost killed her, didn't you?" Viola watched him suspiciously. Sable blushed slightly with embarrassment.  
"You know that I didn't mean it. That cursed cobblestone...If it didn't move... Anyway, it's good that you delivered Infernus that message. Thanks, if not you..."  
"All the pleasure is mine." Viola bowed slightly, trying to imitate wyvern's gesture. "You have no idea, how thankful those two can be."  
"Did they ask you how did you know about that attack?" The wyvern asked with worries.  
"Stella did, but I didn't say a word. She asks me about that every time we meet, but I think she already knows that I won't tell her a word." The ice dragoness said proudly, as if she was a little girl expecting praise.  
"Good girl." Sable poked her head gently, filling her wish, and watched her lovingly. "And how is Ray doing?" He asked.  
"Well, but he argues with other elders all the time. He's a little too impulsive, as for them. You know, the rest of elders would prefer to analyze the situation and for him everything seems to be obvious. Enemy, ally, good, evil, yes, no, he doesn't like palliatives. But still, he's clever and he's usually right. Just like his father." Viola explained.  
"His father..." Sable started thinking about something. "Was his name Cloud?" He asked.  
"How do you know?" Viola watched him dumbstruck. Sable just smiled slightly. "What is it?"  
"I've already met Ray and his father about fifteen years ago. He shot lightning in my back. His father, I mean. I still have a mark after that blow." Sable explained.  
"Could you tell me about that?" Viola asked him.  
"I think, we have no time for this. I barely sneaked out from Venganza's camp." Sable refused with apologizing note. "Besides, I'll spare Ray embarrassment." He smiled mysteriously.  
"You'll tell me that the next time I ask." Viola decided.  
"Well..." Sable tried to refuse.  
"Promise me." The ice dragoness pleased him. Sable sighed deeply.  
"I promise." He couldn't refuse to her beautiful eyes. Viola smiled, content to hear those words. Then, she sighed deeply, as in her mind there appeared a thought, she'd most likely delete from her mind.  
"Sable, Douten... He knows about us. He doesn't know about our romance, but..." She started explaining.  
"I know quite lot, the rest of it I guessed. He blackmailed you not to tell anyone about his betrayal, or I'll die, right?" Viola nodded with surprise. Sable smiled and shook his head. "Oh, how predictable, Douten."  
"You're in danger, Sable. You should run away, disappear, to time, when everything would..."  
"No. I have enough of running away. I'll stay in Venganza. Trust me, next week will pass and everything will be done." He refused.  
"Don't you understand that you may die?!" Viola shouted at him surprised by that answer. She couldn't believe that he was so reckless.  
"I do." Those words completely baffled her. "Do you remember what I promised you, when we met first night?" She nodded slowly.  
"That you'll find a way to complete mutation of yours. To become dragon, so we could live together forever." She almost quoted him. She remembered those words too well.  
"Exactly. And for those four years, I've tried everything, but... I can't do it." Sable sighed sadly. "I can't keep this promise. Primero has told me that complete mutation isn't possible for me because of so long interval." Viola didn't know, what to say. After several seconds of silence, she shook her head.  
"I don't care, what your body is like. I just want be with you. We can live in town, no one would even notice that you're not dragon. Yes, your bipedality is specific, but..."  
"No." He refused. In his voice was something that Viola stopped speaking in half of sentence. "Even, if we left this city, escaped somewhere far away, what, if someone figures out truth? That I was Vengantimo? What then? I would have to run away, leave you, exposing you for disgrace. And it would happen sooner or later."  
"Disgrace?" Viola asked with disbelief. "As if I cared. Besides, I wouldn't leave you. Even if we have to travel at the very end of the world, all that matters for me is you. I don't care, what everyone around thinks about me, as long as you're on my side." She said, determinate about her words.  
"So what? Will you abandon all your friends and family? No. You don't deserve for fate like that." Sable refused. He knew loneliness too well to let anyone suffer it. Viola shook her head in disbelief.  
"Don't I deserve you?" Viola asked with reproach. The wyvern rolled his eyes. She didn't understand his point of view at all.  
"I'm the one who doesn't deserve you. And you don't deserve loneliness." He corrected her. "And, even if you decided for that, don't forget that I'm enemy of your race and soon, there will be battle. To survive, I'll have to kill your friends. Me or them. Will I deserve to speak or even watch you after killing your friends?" His voice was filled with sorrow. "Tremor, Flame, Stella, do I have to enumerate them all to make you understand?" He asked. From Viola's eye dripped tear, as she understood his intention. She didn't know, what to say.  
"You mean that..." Viola interrupted in half of sentence, unable to finish it. The wyvern nodded slowly. The dragoness could barely stopped tears.  
"We cannot be together. We have to forget about everything between us, to let you avoid suffering of loss. Suffering, which I know too well. I beg you. Let me just disappear, fade away in the darkness. It's been pleasure to know you, but this is the time when we must truly part." Sable said with begging voice.  
"No, I can't forget about you, Sable. And I'm not going to even try. There must be some solution." Viola refused, as her heart was sinking lower and lower. "I will never let you go."  
"Then tell it." He answered with despair and brutal directness. "If there's solution, then enlighten me!" He shouted. Then his voice became calm again. "Stop living in world that doesn't exist." He stood up and turned around with his back to Viola. He snorted with disdain to himself. "Wyvern and dragoness. Fighting the fates, refusing those... This is insanity. From the very beginning, it couldn't work out." Sable said, rather to himself than her, blaming himself for not disappearing that night years earlier. Why did he fight his fate? He would never become dragon. Sable hated himself for his naivety. Viola stood up.  
"It can work out, Sable. No matter, what you say, I believe that..." She tried to persuade him. Sable kissed her, interrupting her in half of her sentence.  
"I love you. I love you to death, but... it changes nothing. Sometimes, even love isn't enough to change those cruel fates." He turned around. He knew that he was breaking her heart. Sable felt so terribly that he couldn't force himself to watch her once more. Even, if he wished to do so from bottom of his heart. "Farewell." He started slowly walking down the hill. The ice dragoness watched him dumbstruck. It took her long moment to make move.  
"Sable, wait!" She shouted to wyvern, who was about to fly. Sable turned around, right when Viola jumped at him and hugged him. "Don't...don't leave me. Please..." She started crying, begging him. Sable sighed deeply and smiled sadly. From his eye dripped tear. He turned his head to don't watch her. He knew that once he would glare at her, he wouldn't be able to leave.  
"Sorry. I have to do it. It's... my fate." Sable hated this last word. Fate. Dogma of wyverns- guiverno dogma. He couldn't fight his fate. He tried. For all these years since he met Viola, he tried to refuse his fate, to become dragon. But he couldn't. No one could win against guiverno dogma. "I'm sorry." He whispered. They kissed once more. Sable enjoyed that moment. He knew, they would never meet again, so his, like Viola's, heart was sinking lower and lower. Then, after the longest fifteen seconds of his life, Sable disconnected their lips, stepped back. He really didn't want to come back to Venganza, but he had to. It was his fate. "Farewell, Viola. Farewell. Forever." He whispered. Sable turned around, straightened wings and flew away. Viola watched him with tears in her eyes. Then she started crying. From her widely opened in disbelief eyes were falling tears, which she didn't even try to stop. Neither did Sable.

Several hours later, Viola was wandering across the city indifferent to everything around her. Her sight was blind, her eyes were showing no even spark of will to live, and she barely managed to don't fall at anyone. From her eyes, there were slowly dripping tears. She was avoiding sights of other dragons, not expecting, neither wanting their help. She felt that her heart was broken. Those weren't just words, she could swear she literally felt pain deeply in her chest. She knew that she had lost the most priceless person she ever had. All other problems, which used to bother her, even Douten, were meaningless compared to that, as if they were just a dust on the wind. Her steps were slow. She didn't hurry anywhere. After all, there was no place, where she could go. To be alone. To find relief in hiding from sorrow and painful memories. There was no place that would bring her oblivion.  
"Viola?" She heard familiar voice, but she didn't react. She heard quick steps, as Stella caught up with her and started walking right next to her. "What happened?" She asked worried about Viola.  
"That's...nothing." The ice dragoness muttered and turned her head not to watch Stella.  
"Come on, I see that there's something wrong." Stella wasn't going to give up just like that. "Let's go to my house, you'll tell me what happened." The lightning dragoness smiled to her warmly. "You have no idea, how great relief confession brings." She persuaded. Viola nodded slowly. She wasn't going to reject help, when she needed it at the most, though she didn't believe that simple conversation could change anything. They were walking across city in silence, Viola was mourning silently.

Two dragonesses came to Stella's house slowly. The lightning guardian, for all the way, was wondering what could have happened to Viola. When they entered the house, Stella fell on her mate. Infernus watched the dragonesses curiously.  
"What happened? Something wrong?" He asked with worries.  
"Yeah. I need to talk with Viola." The guardian explained. Her mate nodded slightly and, knowing that he would only disturb them, didn't follow them to the living room when dragonesses went.  
"So, what's on your mind?" Stella watched her friend carefully. The ice dragoness was crying silently and leaning against the guardian. Stella was hugging her friendly.  
"Wh...Where should I start my story?" The ice dragoness asked, while wiping out tears.  
"At the beginning." Stella suggested.  
"Good point." Viola admitted. She wiped out another tear. "So, it started four years ago. We, I mean me and my sisters, were travelling across the forests, when we were attacked by wyverns. Those were this same three, who you encountered in Warfang several weeks ago. They would surely kill us, if not Sable. He saved us and brought to the city. Then, I asked him, if he would like to stay in the city for day. He agreed, though he didn't like this idea at first, but Ciri was persuading him so intensively..." Viola smiled sadly to the memories. "And you know, in time of only one day we were in so many places, at first, we were at the park, only two of us. Oh, Sable was such good flatterer. Well, I paid him back in his own coin actually..." The ice dragoness continued telling about her first meeting with Sable, even quoting some of her words and Sable's compliments. She was telling about every detail since the more she spoke, the better she felt. It took quite long time to start speaking about her and Ray's conversation. "...And then, Ray made me acknowledge that there had appeared something between me and Sable." Stella watched at her surprised.  
"Something? Do you mean... feelings?" The lightning guardian asked, doubting if that was possible. Viola nodded slightly. "Love?" Stella continued guessing. Viola bobbed her head once in reply.  
"After dinner, I sneaked out with Sable from the house. I took him to such romantic place..." Viola said with dreamy voice. "And there, I confessed my love to him. And he reciprocated it." Stella opened her jaws in amazement and complete dumbstruck. "We were even..." Viola continued, but then she interrupted and blushed rapidly. "You know..." She was much too embarrassed to tell that word.  
"Mating?" The guardian asked with disbelief. Viola nodded slowly. "Wow." That was all that Stella was able to say. "So...why are you so... crushed?" That was a thing, which Stella couldn't figure out.  
"We met today. And he said that...that..." Viola stopped for a moment, it was very hard for her to speak those words. "He said that he couldn't finish his mutation and this all couldn't work out. He said we had to...to..." Viola burst out with cry. Stella hugged her friendly again and poked her back again while cheering her up. After a minute, the ice dragoness continued speaking. "He said that for my own good, we had to forget about each other..." She wiped out another tear. "I'm scared that at that battle of Vengantimos and guardians... he's going to...die. I know that he plans something, but I have no idea, what. I'm helpless. I don't know what to do... I know that he's not coming back and..."  
"I'll bring him back." Stella declared. Viola watched her with disbelief.  
"Do you mean…" The ice dragoness didn't know what to say.  
"I have no idea what he wants to achieve by breaking your heart, but I promise, I'll drag him back before you and make him change his mind, even if I'll have to break both his wings." Stella decided firmly. Her blood was boiling when she thought how terribly Sable behaved towards Viola.  
"You really want to do that?" The ice dragoness asked hopefully, ignoring fact that knowing Sable, dragging him to the city wouldn't end up without broken bones. "I was so scared that guardians planned to just kill him." She still couldn't believe that Stella actually said that.  
"Of course, I want to bring him back. I never meant to kill him. Besides, I can do for you two at least that much." The lightning guardian assured her.  
"Oh, thank you!" Viola hugged Stella. Finally, in her heart, there started glittering light of hope. She hugged her strongly once more and then, not knowing, if should she cry or laugh, she left the guardian's house. Infernus watched the guardian curiously.  
"Bringing Sable back..." He sighed deeply. "If he refuses, it won't be easy, you do realize that?" He noticed.  
"I do." Stella confirmed sadly. "I wonder, if will that be possible." Then, her mate kissed her lovingly.  
"I believe in you." Infernus whispered. Stella couldn't help smiling gently.

At this same moment, Sable was already in Venganza's camp, laying at the grass and watching clouds. He was all alone. He hated himself for what he had done, but he knew it was going to be much better for Viola that way. He felt blow of warm air, as Vixen landed next to him.  
"Did it go not according to the plan?" She asked with worries, watching his sadness. She had never seen Cuarto so crushed.  
"No, it went as planned." Cuarto said sadly. "Exactly, as planned." He repeated slowly. Vixen watched him with surprise, not understanding, what he meant. But she knew that she shouldn't ask, she wouldn't hear answer. At wyvern's lips appeared something like sad smile. There was no force, which could stop him from filling his plan, even Viola. After all, he was doing this all for her. To protect her.

Last week before final battle of Vengantimos and dragons passed very slowly. In that time happened nothing serious for guardians. Well, almost nothing. Two day before battle, there was incident. It was morning, sun barely rose above horizon. That day, all guardians and their families were eating together. Atmosphere was good, they were conversing and laughing all the time. Until that morning.

"Why me?" Vixen asked herself for hundredth time for last fifteen minutes. She and Atroz were sitting at cliff about half kilometer from house, were all guardians were.  
"I already explained you that, kid." Vixen gave him annoyed sight, but Atroz ignored it. "Your abilities are necessary here." The wyvern pointed metal gauntlet attached to a special stand, so it didn't move. Shoot was going to be much more precise now. "If Crue was alive, he would do it on his own, even without stand. But I'm not so good, so you have to correct it, Cero." Vixen hissed angrily.  
"Don't call me Cero! I have no gems, I'm not Vengantimo!" She refused.  
"You're one of us, whether we like it or not. And since you have no gems, you're zero, Cero, that is. And now, help me, without you…"  
"Yeah, I know." Vixen sighed deeply. Atroz gave her this kind of sight that if she would notice it, she would fill her promise about killing him. "But why with you?"The black dragoness asked. "Dad perfectly knows that I hate you." Vixen muttered.  
"I'm ready, already aimed at her." Atroz announced. Vixen watched at the gauntlet and house, where guardians were.  
"I can't believe it's going to work out. Such long distance makes precise shoot almost..." Vixen started complaining.  
"Quit that already." Atroz interrupted her. "If you help me, I'll do it." Vixen turned at him.  
"Why do I have to save your tail all the time? It becomes annoying already." The dragoness asked. The wyvern hissed angrily in reply.  
"I'm shooting, so correct me." Atroz told her. The dragoness nodded.  
"Viento would be better for that. His specialization was gentle wind. If you wouldn't let him die..."  
"Shut up already!" Atroz shouted. He was already angry. "I have enough of your never-ending babbling! And now, make some use of your dragon's body that you're so proud of and correct that damn shot!" Only thing that was stopping Atroz from hitting Vixen was that he knew that it would end up just like last time.  
"Alright, alright. Easy, Atroz." Vixen stood right behind gauntlet and focused. Atroz touched the trigger.  
"Three, two, one. Fire." He pressed it. From gauntlet flew one small needle covered in green poison. Thanks for Vixen and some miraculous force, it hit the point. They both sighed with relief.  
"Nice shot. Now, let's hurry up, before anyone notices us." Vixen congratulated. The wyvern nodded. After less than one minute, they both were gone.

Cynder even noticed it was coming. She heard silent wheeze. Then she felt soft sting at her shoulder. The black dragoness took out from wound small needle covered in green liquid. Spyro watched at her with surprise. "Cynder?" He asked. Then, her vision blurred, as she fell on the ground. "Cynder!" All guardians turned their heads at her. The purple dragon noticed needle rolling on the ground. "That's poison!" He took needle and ran to the door. "Ember, take care of her!"  
"And where are you going?" The pink dragoness asked. She was already crouching next to Cynder and trying to heal her. Everyone else was watching this situation with surprise.  
"To Douten. He must have antidote." Spyro explained.  
"I'm coming with you. If he's out, we'll faster find antipoison." Candice suggested.  
"Me too." Stella said and before anyone said something more, all three started flight across city.  
Spyro never knew that he could fly so fast. They reached Douten's house very quickly and didn't knock, just came in. The earth dragon watched them dumbstruck. The purple dragon shown him needle.  
"One of guardians was poisoned by that." Spyro reminded himself just in time to don't say 'Cynder'. Douten asked for the needle. He watched it carefully and licked green liquid. Then, he quickly spited it out, as he recognized it.  
"Give me a moment." He went to another room and appeared half a minute later with small bottle of antipoison. "Let's go." All three agreed and started flying back to Cynder. Douten interrupted silence answering for question, which Spyro was going to say. "Don't worry. She'll be fine. This will help her." Spyro smiled hopefully as he heard that.  
Ten minutes later, antipoison was given to Cynder, but the black dragoness wasn't woken up, alchemist told them to lay her in her bed. The alchemist was perfectly hiding anger caused by fact that he was laid. Douten was about to leave, when Spyro stood before him.  
"What about her?" He asked with worries.  
"You laid me." The earth dragon blamed him.  
"Would you help us, if I didn't?" Spyro asked skeptically. Douten smiled.  
"No. You're learning quickly." He turned his head at the black dragoness. "Nothing endangers her life, but she won't be able to move, not mention fighting, for next week. She won't be able to help you in battle for at least two weeks." He explained. The purple dragon cursed silently. "She needs to rest actually." Tremor, who was staying next to Spyro, sighed.  
"It's not good. Someone will have to stay with her in case of any Vengantimo in the city when there will be the battle." Tremor noticed. Spyro nodded.  
"And we lost our numerical superiority. At least nothing endangers her life." He noticed and sighed with relief. The purple dragon wished he could reverse it somehow.  
"Can't you ask other dragons from city for help?" Douten asked.  
"No." Tremor denied firmly. "We can't involve anyone. It's our battle." After Flush's death, he promised himself that they wouldn't involve anyone.  
"As you wish." Douten said and shrugged. "But I doubt that we will meet after battle in that case." Tremor gave him annoyed sight and Douten smiled devilishly, as he turned around, about to leave. "I really doubt that, Tremor." He whispered it so quietly that no one heard that. He already had his plans about the guardians.


	45. The storm

Chapter 45. "The storm"

"Ray?" The lightning dragon was lost in thoughts, so his mate poked him. "Ray?" The elder shook his head. He stopped glaring at the city and turned his head to Lyrian. "Come on for dinner." The ice dragoness suggested. Ray nodded and they went to dining room. "You regret that you can't go with them, don't you?" Lyrian guessed.  
"Yeah." Ray admitted with smile. Lyrian knew him too well not to figure that out. "At that battle, there are my friends. I know them since always. And I can't help them, but I have to stuck here and do nothing. That's so..."  
"I think they did well." His mate interrupted him. "They'll win. I see no need to worry."  
"But I do. You've heard Tremor's story about defeating Malefor. Have you counted how many times he almost died? And have you forgotten that two of the weakest Vengantimos had almost laid him in his grave? If there came other dragons with them now, there would be no need to risk life of any of them."  
"By risking others, you want to give guardians safety? Your cure is worse than the disease. Tremor and other guardians risk their own lives to protect all of us. You should be thankful to them." Lyrian argued. Ray sighed deeply.  
"Yeah, you're right. I just hate to be passive."  
"We all do. But it will be better, if no one interferes. Tremor blames himself for death of that detective from Teria. I'm worried, if next death wouldn't be too much for him. And also, I don't want to risk your life." Ray remained silent. "I know, what are you thinking about, but Ray, stay with me." Lyrian pleased. Ray kissed her.  
"For you everything, sweety." The ice dragoness sighed with relief. The elder watched outside with yearning sight, in direction, where guardians were.  
"They'll be fine. Have faith in them." Lyrian assured him. Ray nodded. He believed in guardians." You know, I always wondered about something."  
"What is it?" Ray willingly changed subject of their conversation.  
"Why I heard rumors that Tris and Douten would in several years become mates? There are thirteen years of difference between them. Isn't she a little too young?"  
"Tris... It's because of Ardora, her foster mother. Marriage of Tris and Douten would be profitable." Ray explained.  
"Profitable for Ardora, of course. I never liked that elder." Lyrian sighed deeply. "Arranged marriage. Poor Tris. She really deserves for some freedom." Then some idea appeared in her head. "If you were Tris, would you oppose to Ardora? You know, there aren't many youngsters, who would be capable to do that."  
"I doubt, if I would. But Tris can do it. Even if she's just a youngster, her past had hardened her much more than anyone I know. Not counting Tremor, of course. I'm sure that someday, she'll say enough to Ardora. I only wish I could be fly on the wall during that."

"I hate you!" The red dragoness shouted, as she left her house. Ardora followed her.  
"Stop where you are, young lady. You're not going anywhere." The elder said, but was ignored. "Tris!" She shouted.  
"You can't stop me!" Youngster replied. "I'm leaving this city and I'm going to live in Warfang! You can't change my mind!"  
"Yes, I can, Tris. And I will. You stay here." Ardora said firmly.  
"My teacher is leaving to Warfang. And if I want to continue my education, I have to go there too!" Tris argued. Ardora gave her electrifying sight.  
"I know." She replied angry at her ward.  
"And that's why, you're doing this, right?! To stop my weird, as you think, talent, huh? You want to raise me as your successor without even asking, if I wish so, Ardora!" Tris shouted.  
"Don't forget, who you are talking to." The elder admonished her. "Don't forget that your parents..."  
"My parents, when they were dying, asked you for one thing!" Tris shouted, from her eye dripped tear. Tear of anger and desperation. "To provide me good future, as they would do! And you're ruining this all because of your selfishness! Because you've never had daughter, you have to destroy my life!"  
"My lack of daughter isn't a point here!" The elder shouted, angry that Tris mentioned that. "I offer you safe future. Don't you want it?"  
"No. I know how it would look like. You'll all the time tell me, what to do, even arrange my own marriage. And as your successor, I would be called second Ardora. I don't want to live hidden in someone's shadow. Especially not yours. I want to be just a medic." Tris turned around and started walking away slowly.  
"Stop!" Ardora shouted. "For you, I am..."  
"Nothing." Tris finished sentence coldly. "You can be elder of whole city, but you can't even raise a dragoness that is supposed to be like your daughter." Those words really wounded Ardora. She wasn't ready for next ones. She couldn't be. "I wish that my parents didn't protect you with their own chests that night. That duty to you wouldn't be more important for them than their daughter." The elder of city watched younger unable to say a word, as she recalled the attack of wolves on the eastern city ten years earlier.  
"Tris...you don't mean this in the way you seem to do, right?" She asked doubtfully. Tris burst out with silent laugh.  
"I mean. Do I have to repeat this?" The red dragoness turned around and glared in elder's eyes with fire of anger blazing in her eyes. "I wish you were dead." Tris ran away to the forest. Ardora didn't follow her. She knew it would be pointless. And besides, she was too aghast to make any move.

"Bye mom, bye dad." Zap said, as he hugged his parents. They smiled.  
"Bye, Zap." Infernus raised his sight at Angelo. "Take care of him." The lightning dragon smiled and nodded.  
"No worries. I'll take care of them." Meanwhile, Zap walked to rest of youngsters, who were already there. Stella and Infernus were about to leave, when their son called them.  
"When will you be back?" He asked. His mother nuzzled him.  
"Soon. You won't even notice, when we'll be already back." Stella and Infernus bided them goodbye once more and they left. Angelo watched all youngsters.  
"Listen to me now." All of them turned their heads at him. "If something happened to you, I would have serious problem, so don't do anything... unsafe. Until your parents come back, stay in this house. Understood?" All five of them nodded obediently. "Good. Spend your time as you wish, then." The lightning dragon turned around and left the room.  
"Where are you going?" Zealous asked the vice-captain, who had already disappeared from their sights.  
"To my bed. I haven't slept for too long. If something happens, scream." He said, half-jokingly.

Spyro was sitting next to Cynder's bed and watching his mate. He really didn't want to leave her, but he had to. The purple dragon gave Cynder loving nuzzle and whispered something silently. That was, when he heard knocking at door.  
"Come in." Spyro said loudly. Tremor was staying behind him.  
"Spyro, it's time to go." The earth guardian informed him. Spyro kissed sleeping Cynder and stood up.  
"I'm going." He had so bad feelings that he couldn't hide that at all. Tremor reacted for that just smiling warmly.  
"Everything will be fine. Tomorrow, we all will celebrate victory. And there will be no funeral. No more." Last two words Tremor said rather to himself. His blood boiled, as he recalled Flush's death and his murderer, Brute.  
"Indeed. Let's finish this." Spyro agreed, as they were leaving. Outside, everyone was waiting. All guardians, Ivory, Sparx, who was complaining about rain, and Genesis. The vice-captain went to Spyro.  
"I'll look after Cynder, as promised." He watched all eight dragons. "Good luck. You'll need it." He bided them. It was already time to go, so they all jumped in the air. The fire breather followed them with his sight, regretting that he couldn't fly with them. He sighed deeply. "You'll need it more, than you can imagine." Genesis foretold, still disappointed that he couldn't go with them. Then, he heard a lightning and felt drops of water falling at him. " The storm is coming. It's good weather for this fight." He said to himself. "So... moody."

"This day is crucial." Primero said to five Vengantimos and Vixen. They all were standing before their leader. Behind backs of wyverns, there was dying out bonfire. "Because today, we'll show all dragons real power of Venganza. Of revenge. We'll prove them that wyverns can not be underestimated." Espejo smiled. "That even so proud of their power dragon guardians can be defeated." Brute and Atroz watched each other and grinned devilishly. "We will kill all of them and everyone, who will try to stop us. To avenge those, who we've lost because of race, which abhors wyverns at the most."  
"We're going in pairs to the city to don't be noticed, right?" Sable asked.  
"Yes. Vixen is going with Espejo, Brute with Atroz and you with Icey." Primero watched them carefully. "Any questions?" They all remained in silence. "You know the plan. Now, go. Take your vengeance." They all jumped in air and disappeared in forest. Primero saw lightning. Then, he started speaking to himself. "Your dreams of tomorrow are now nothing more than just dust in the wind. You will enjoy no more moments of courtesy. Your life will be loveless as mine. You'll lose your dreams and pride. All that awaits you is never-ending night of seclusion. Because my heart, corrupted by vengeance, will bring you all eternal slumber. Your end is nigh. I promise it to all of you, guardians." Primero smiled to himself. Then, he straightened wings and jumped into air. But he flew in another direction that other Vengantimos. Venganza had finally set off for the last battle.

Icey and Sable were walking slowly across the forest. They weren't hurrying. They had much of time. Icey was behaving unnaturally, strangely. Sable guessed that he was stressed, but couldn't believe that. He was sure that his friend was able to show nothing but hatred to dragons.  
"Is something wrong?" Cuarto asked.  
"Nothing. It's just excitement." Icey replied coldly. "Sable?" Cuarto turned his head giving him asking sight. "Do you have any plans for future? After Venganza?"  
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"  
"I have plan, which involves you, if you have nothing against that." Icey explained. Sable watched him with surprise.  
"What is it?" Cuarto asked curiously.  
"At this battle, I'll take my revenge. Nothing will make me remain on Primero's side any longer. That's why, I'll steal elixirs to deny my mutation and come back to my tribe. How about you go with me?"  
"No." Sable refused. "Betrayal is too high price of the freedom."  
"But lower than death. I have bad feelings, Sable. What, if after end of battle Primero will kill us to keep power of that strange alchemy for himself?" Icey watched his friend with asking sight. "Haven't you ever considered that?"  
"No, but you may be right." Sable admitted. "Still, I refuse. I've already planned everything and I'm not going to change it." Icey sighed with disappointment.  
"I see. Then I'll go there alone." Icey found Sable good friend and he didn't like the idea of separation. "Sable... I want to say that I'm glad that we met. We may have no other opportunity to farewell, so I wanted to say that I'll miss you. After all, in whole this madness called Venganza, you're my only true friend."  
"That's a pity, we won't meet again." Sable agreed. "It was great honor to have as friend someone as powerful and wise as you, Icey." Cuarto bowed slightly.  
"So, good luck in your new life." Icey said. Sable smiled sadly.  
"And so I bid to you." They were walking in silence for while. "Icey, I have a request." The ice user turned his head.  
"What's on your mind?"  
"There's possibility that I'll die. If that happens, farewell Vixen from me. And protect her from Primero. If you're right... She has to live." He pleased.  
"Fine. There's no problem about that."  
"Thanks. She's really important to me."  
"Yeah, I know. But I doubt if I'll have to fill this promise. You'll be fine. We'll kill all guardians. And avenge Fuerzo, Crue, Mar, Viento. And my beloved Creencia." The ice user promised.  
"Mar. He was your student, wasn't he?"Sable asked. Icey nodded.  
"I'll deal with Candice. I swear, when I'll be done with her, she'll beg me for death." Sable watched him with surprise.  
"Do you think that vengeance will solve all your problems? It won't bring anyone back, just cause more suffering." Cuarto noticed.  
"Yes, it's true. But it doesn't have to bring life, but stability. After one death, there's killer and victim. But after act of vengeance, there are only victims. Those, who caused bloodshed, pay with their own blood." Icey was surprised that Sable doubted if revenge was right.  
"If we all were corrupted by vengeance, there would be no feelings like joy, happiness, and... love." Last word, Sable said very quietly and painfully. So short time couldn't heal his broken heart.  
"Indeed. That's why, there aren't many avengers. Only some of us are chosen to be them. To bring the justice. Even if that means bloodshed of our enemies." Icey smiled in way that Sable wondered, why did he say 'even', not 'especially', but he let this objection pass.  
"Everything's right, Sable?" Cuarto turned his head, as if he didn't understand question. "Week ago, thanks for Vixen, you disappeared from camp for several hours without Primero's permission. Since that time, something's bothering you." Icey watched him carefully. Sable shook his head. Too quickly to remain credible.  
"That's nothing. Thanks for care, but I'm fine." Sable refused. Icey smiled slightly.  
"I know, what the matter is. Don't forget that I was broken hearted too." Icey noticed. "What is her name?" He asked curiously. Cuarto watched him carefully, wondering how did he guess that.  
"Viola." Sable said, seeing no point in lying. By just name, even Icey wouldn't figure out that she was...  
"She's that ice dragoness, who you saved from me, isn't she?" The ice user guessed. Sable turned at him with jaws opened in amazement.  
"How do you know?" Cuarto asked.  
"This sight of yours, when you were holding her, when I was just about to kill her. I know this sight, I know its meaning: I will protect her." Icey smiled slightly, as he whispered last sentence. "Be careful, it's very dangerous sight, especially for its user." Icey warned him.  
"So, what will you do about that? You know that I'm in love with one of those, who you hate at the most." Sable watched him with worries.  
"I'll do nothing. I don't approve your feelings, but I neither have right condemn them. It's not your choice, who you fall in love with. All, I can say is I bid you good luck in this madness."  
"I haven't thought you'd be that calm knowing that." Sable smiled with relief.  
"Oh, come on, Sable, we're friends, aren't we?" Icey asked. Cuarto sighed deeply with relief.  
"You know, I feel as if everyone around could faultlessly predict everything I'll do." Sable confessed.  
"Avoid this. When enemy knows your plan, there's no point in fighting. Anyway, are your plans about her?" Icey didn't wait for answer, which he already knew. "I'm sure that you'll see her once more and be together again. After your past, you deserve for this." "Even if I deserve, I think my fate will be different." Sable refused.  
"You're wrong. Do you know why? Because I'm always right." Icey said proudly and confidently.  
"Even the longest run of luck has its end." Cuarto noticed.  
"Not mine, Sable." Icey replied. "I can predict everything. And this is my greatest advantage against guardians." Sable just smiled.  
"Watch your back at fight, Icey. You'll underestimate them and Candice, who you want to kill so badly, will kill you." He warned him.  
"You know, what power of my helarse is. Do you still believe that she'll manage to at least scratch me?"  
"Just watch your back." Sable suggested him.

Tris was wandering across the forest. She didn't care about direction, she just wanted to be as far from Ardora, as she could be. "I hate her." She whispered to herself. Then, she heard some steps. That was strange. Not many dragons walked this way. Tris knew who that was. Ardora. She was looking for her. The red dragoness sighed angrily and ran to noise, ready to shout at the elder. Tris sneaked several meters from her and jumped to her. Then, she stood surprised in front of two dragons. Those were Vixen and Espejo. The red dragoness heard about Vengantimos, she easily recognized, who was that male. For several seconds, all three of them watched each other, unsure, what to do. Espejo watched Vixen with surprise, she just shrugged. Tris decided to run in this same moment, when Vengantimo decided to attack. The fire dragoness jumped back just in time to dodge Espejo's claws and shoot to them fireball. Vixen easily extinguished it by blow of the wind. Then, Vengantimo, who appeared from nowhere, hit Tris her chest with clubbed tail. The dragoness crushed at some tree. She took deep breath and leaned down on the ground dodging wyvern's claws, which got stuck in tree. Espejo tried to kill her right away, but she rolled away from him. Vengantimo hissed angrily, as Tris sent in his direction stream of fire. He jumped in the air and attacked from above. Tris blocked his paw, but then, she got hit in face by second one and sent in the air by blow of tail. She heard noise of her ribs breaking, as she crushed at the tree. She fell on the ground, but, even if completely dazed, slowly stood up. She didn't hurry to die, she was going to fight, even if she had already lost. Espejo smirked. "Still staying?" He asked with surprise. He loved finishing his enemies quickly, with one strong blow. The dragoness opened jaws ready to release stream of fire, when she coughed with blood and fell hardly on the ground.  
"Those broken ribs pierced my lung. Or both of them." Tris said to herself and closed eyes in surrender. "I can't breathe normally, not speaking of fighting." Above her, there was staying Vengantimo with risen paw, about to kill her. At his lips, there appeared fearsome grin.  
"Die." He whispered. Then, between them appeared Vixen. She stopped wyvern's blow, punched him in his face with head and hit his chest by tail. At the end, she sent him in the air by blow of wings. Espejo landed several meters from her. "Hey, what was that for?" He asked, dumbstruck.  
"Enough already." Vixen said with anger. "She's barely conscious, we won't gain anything by killing her. Only anger of citizens and guardians. And also, alive, she may appear to be useful." The black dragoness argued. Espejo sighed with annoyance and watched red dragoness. Only thing, which kept Tris conscious, was her body burning with pain.  
"So what? Will we take her with us?" Vengantimo asked.  
"I will do it." Vixen decided. In time of their conversation, Tris touched her chest with paw, from which started flowing aura of energy. Vixen watched that with surprise. "So you're a medic, huh?" It was opportunity for the black dragoness to watch Tris carefully. She was a youngster, even younger than Vixen, twelve or thirteen. Her body was long, as for her age, but very thin, she was practically bag of bones, yet very beautiful. As Vixen took her at back, she understood that she had seen only several dragonesses and wyvernesses of her length, who would be that light. To Vixen's disappointment, she was not only a little shorter, but also heavier than the fire dragoness. That wounded her pride. Espejo was also looking at Tris. Vengantimo and Vixen resumed walking, Tris felt that her vision was blurring.  
"She's kind of beautiful." The wyvern said to Vixen, when he made sure that medic lost consciousness.  
"Yeah, you should tell it her, when she wakes up. I want to see her face, when you'll confess her that you're in love." Vixen said with irony without even glaring at him.  
"Very funny. I just mean that she's lucky that she met us." The black dragoness laughed.  
"So you call opportunity to get attacked and almost killed good luck? I have to hear your definition of bad luck someday." Vixen tried not to laugh. Espejo watched her with annoyance.  
"Could you give up on that irony for a second and let me finish my sentence? The point is that if she didn't meet us and still walked in that direction, she would encounter Atroz. And since she's so beautiful... You know, how she would end up." Vixen nodded. She felt creeps, as she thought about that. She would never wish anyone death like that, not even her worst enemy.  
"Yeah, at this point, she's very lucky." The black dragoness agreed. Espejo smiled, as saw Vixen almost shaking from fear. The truth was that Vixen was scared what Atroz would do to her. She was beating him at every opportunity, to make him don't even try to do so. His chance was very small, but if he succeeded...  
"Finally, some understanding." They continued walking in silence, which remained for quite long, but it was once more interrupted by Espejo. "How do you think, why does Sable hate Atroz more than anyone else? Isn't there anything personal between them?" Vengantimo wondered. Vixen sighed deeply and didn't hurry with answer. She didn't want to talk about that.  
"Yeah, there's something personal, but it's long story, so..." Espejo smirked.  
"I knew it. Could you tell me about this?" He asked.  
"Ask Sable to do it. I don't know all details of their conflict."  
"I don't need details." He replied. The wyvern noticed dragoness's annoyed sight and he understood her suggestion finally. "Fine, I'll ask him about that." They walked in silence about ten minutes more, when wyvern said "I think it's here." Vixen and Espejo landed at the foot of the hill. All the Vengantimos were already waiting.


	46. Everyone's own fight

Chapter 46. "Everyone's own battle"

"Ivory?" The white dragoness jerked her head at Tremor. All eight dragons were flying to the battlefield in silence until then.  
"What is it?" She watched the earth guardian curiously.  
"I want to make sure that you're with us to help by your healing powers not to get revenge for Flush." The earth guardian watched her doubtfully. He still remembered her fury from several weeks earlier. The medic replied him with resentful sight.  
"Don't you trust me?" She was disdained with those words. "I thought you trust me."  
"That's not the point. I mean that you lost Flush. When Brute will notice you, he'll surely try to use that fact against you." Tremor explained himself.  
" happens, I'll remain calm." She promised.  
"That's good. I do..." The earth dragon sneezed loudly. Ivory smiled with pity.  
"Candice, could you stop waking him up with freezing breath? I'm trying to heal your mate for about two weeks and you're not helping at all." Ivory watched her with blaming sight.  
"If Tremor reacted for any conventional way of waking up..." Candice passed the buck to her mate.  
"If you allowed me to sleep a little longer..." Tremor riposted.  
"If only you weren't such..." Candice didn't finish her sentence, because Ivory interrupted her.  
"Quit those ifs, you both are to be blamed." Ivory noticed. "Let me heal that. It's going to take me just a minute." Ivory offered.  
"Come on, you shouldn't spend your magic for something like that." Tremor answered shrugging meanwhile.  
"Because of something like that, you may lose your focus and... life." Ivory noticed, deadly serious about her words. "After all, that's why I'm heal you."  
"Yeah, you better heal that, sweety." Candice said to her mate, agreeing with Ivory.  
"Alright."The earth guardian gave up under their pressure.  
"You better hurry up." Spyro said. "We're almost there." Then, Flame turned at the purple dragon.  
"I still think that sending several guards to watch Douten in time of battle wouldn't be so bad idea. Why didn't we do that?" The fire breather asked Spyro with regrets.  
"Because I refused." Tremor joined the conversation. "I don't believe that Douten would cooperate with Venganza."  
"Don't speak, I'm trying to heal you." Ivory admonished the earth guardian.  
"It is possible." Flame noticed. "Have you already forgotten that he would prefer you and Cynder to be dead?" He argued. "And those elixirs... "  
"Douten may be terrible badass, but he'd never betray dragons. I believe in him, don't you?" Tremor argued. "For the sake of his parents, he'd never do it."  
"Tremor!" The white dragoness said resentfully. Flame sighed deeply.  
"I have doubts about him. Douten... He's not this same dragon, who we used to know. He has changed." Flames said with gentle hint of sadness in his voice.  
"It doesn't matter now." Spyro noticed. "We made our choice and we can't change it."  
"Are you worried?" Flame asked Spyro, watching him carefully.  
"Aren't you?" Infernus asked the fire guardian with disbelief. "Icey almost killed you and Ember last time."  
"Well, I'm worried a bit." Ember told her mate.  
"Me too." Stella agreed with her.  
"Not me." Tremor smiled in a silly way. "How about you, Spyro?"  
"We've been through worse. We'll be fine." The purple dragon assured.  
"I only wonder who's Tercera." Infernus noticed. All dragons thought about for a moment.  
"Atroz, I think. He almost killed me." Candice noticed.  
"And now, you want to fight Segunda." The earth guardian noticed. His mate sent him only annoyed sight. Tremor just smirked in reply.  
"Girls, I have no idea, what are you all so worried about. Flame will take care of Atroz, I'll kill Brute and Candice Icey... Can we really lose?" The earth dragon noticed, finishing the conversation with voice overfilled with optimism. Stella wanted to disagree, but she didn't say a word. It would be better for Tremor to leave him in his blissful ignorance.

Espejo and Vixen went at the field, at which center, there was long hill. At its top, there were already waiting four Vengantimos. Cuarto smiled, as he saw newcomers, but then, he noticed dragoness at Vixen's back.  
"You're not late!" Vixen watched Sable with surprise, since Cuarto never was punctual.  
"Hi there." Cuarto said, as the dragoness and Espejo joined Vengantimos. "Who is she?" He pointed Tris. Vixen was about to answer, when next to Sable appeared Atroz. He smiled devilishly.  
"I have no idea, who that chick is, but could you lend me her after battle? I'll surely need to re..." Sable didn't let him finish sentence. Cuarto hit him in face so quickly that wyvern didn't even notice blow and fell on the ground several meters farther. Sable watched him with contempt.  
"Why so slow?" He asked. Atroz hissed in answer.  
"Maybe I should half-blind you and then attack your blind spot? I swear you'll understand it perfectly." He was about to attack Cuarto, when between them stood Icey.  
"Enough already. Both of you, control yourselves. Even, if Primero isn't with us, we have to do everything according the plan." Sable and Atroz were watching each other angrily.  
"So..." Espejo interrupted awkward silence. "Guardians aren't here yet?" He asked. The ice user shook his head.  
"Nope, they're late. Damn dragons, you can't count on them at all."  
"Late?" They heard male voice above them. At opposite end of hill landed all guardians. "You've come too early, wyverns. And dragoness." Tremor noticed skeptically. He watched Brute hatefully. Espejo smiled devilishly and clenched his fists,Sable took his sword and made several fast swings making sure he could easily take them out, while watching carefully Stella. Finally, everything was going to end. They all were waiting for this encounter very long time. Guardians faced Vengantimos. Their final battle was now matter of seconds.

Dragons and wyverns were staying oppositely to each other in silence for moment. Then, Brute noticed Ivory. He smiled devilishly.  
"Guardians, our deal doesn't include that white dragoness." He noticed. Tremor intended to speak, but Ember interrupted him.  
"Our deal doesn't include poisoning Cynder, neither her." She pointed Tris at Vixen's back. Icey watched her with cold annoyance.  
"I swear, this time, I'll make sure that this tough tongue of yours won't..."  
"Enough already." Vixen interrupted him firmly. "Hypocrite..." She said to Icey with blame. The black dragoness ignored his angry sight and put Tris on the ground gently. "I'll give her back to them." She informed them, not asked for permission. Espejo watched the red dragoness and just shrugged seemingly carelessly, which really interested Vixen.  
"Yeah, let's not involve her anymore." Vengantimo agreed. Vixen could swear that he felt sad about it. Maybe when he said that she was beautiful, he really meant something… more? After what she had seen between Sable and Viola, she wouldn't be really surprised. There must been something in those elixirs that the ones being theoretically wyverns would fall in love in dragonesses. And if there would be something more, it would be really wise of Espejo to get Tris out of the battlefield. Vixen shook her head. It didn't matter anymore, did it? Then, she stood in front of five Vengantimos. Atroz watched her with regrets and disbelief. "Will you oppose like last time?" Vixen asked him. The fire breather recalled their last argument and shook his head slowly. The black dragoness grinned showing her sharp teeth. "Good." She turned at guardians. "So, we have an impasse, don't we?" She made effective pause for several seconds, just like her father taught her. "Both sides broke rules of deal on purpose. Do you have any suggestion, how to solve it?" She gave guardians another moment to think about that, but heard no answer. "I see. So, how about this? Cynder won't help you, so I can promise that Primero won't appear from nowhere and help us. And about your medic..."  
"I'll take that dragoness to city and heal her there." Ivory suggested. "Is that fine?"  
"No problem for me. And for you, guardians?"Vixen agreed.  
"Neither for us." The purple dragon confirmed. Atroz sighed with disappointment. Icey smiled devilishly.  
"Then catch her, guardians." The ice user took Tris and threw her in their direction. Espejo hissed angrily, his sense of honor, or maybe another feeling, made blood in his veins boil. Unconscious dragoness fell hardly in the midway between guardians and Vengantimos. Ivory didn't consider for a second, she ran to her, perfectly realizing that most likely she was in terrible state. When the medic reached her and crouched, Icey whispered to Brute. "It's your chance." Sexto nodded and started running to the white dragoness. Vixen watched that situation with disdain and anger for ignorance and insolence of those two.  
"Brute, stop!" She shouted, but wyvern didn't care about her words.  
"Ivory, look out!" Candice shouted, about to shoot the ice spike, but she knew it was too late. Brute smiled. The medic seemed not to notice him, absorbed with young dragoness's state. When he was several meters from her, he jumped to her and slashed with talons. Then Ivory raised her head. Her eyes were glowing with azure energy, so scaring that he rapidly lost whole his confidence. Wyvern's paw stopped just several centimeters from her face at invisible shield. Then, there appeared another barrier, right above him, which pressed him to the ground strongly. The wyvern, laying on his belly couldn't move at all. Both Vengantimos and dragons watched with surprise devilishly smiling dragoness.  
"No one even twitch." Ivory said to wyverns, her voice was doubled by magic, she knew she was losing control on herself. But she could not really help it. "One rapid move and I'll tear off his spine." Atroz was about to attack her, Ivory noticed that. "I swear, I'm not kidding." She warned. Icey cursed silently. So did Brute. She was deadly serious. Sable smiled devilishly, as in his mind appeared idea of provoking Ivory to do so. He never liked Brute, after all.  
"This is bad." Candice whispered.  
"She'll lose control again, won't she?" Tremor asked, it was rhetorical question since all guardians already knew the answer.  
"Drop me Ivory." Sexto whispered angrily. "Do it in five seconds, or I'll kill you like I did with your mate." Ivory's eyes started glowing even more intensively.  
"You better don't provoke me." The white dragoness warned him.  
"You won't kill me. You can't do it." The wyvern said to her. Ivory just smiled devilishly. There started appearing circles of blue aura around her. It was just a matter of seconds for her hatred to overwhelm her.  
"Are you so sure about this?" Then, Ivory touched his spine at height of chest, from her talons started sipping blood, as she was about to pierce Vengantimo. Brute swallowed hardly. He was probably the last person to realize that she wasn't just bluffing.  
"Ivory!" Candice shouted, begging in her mind that it would change a thing. To her relief, Ivory admonished herself just in time. She lifted Brute's neck and pushed him to Vengantimos. Sexto jerked his head at her surprised. Ivory took deep breath and released her breath attack. Wave of magic hit Brute right in face and sent him in the air. The wyvern groaned painfully, as he crushed at ground twenty meters away, right in front of with katana in his paw was standing before him.  
"Can I finish him?" He asked Vixen with begging voice.  
"Sable!" Vixen watched him resentfully, though she knew he was just kidding. Cuarto rolled his eyes, muttering something, and hid his blade. Meanwhile, Ivory landed next to Candice with Tris at her back. Her eyes were still glowing with magic intensively, but they started fading.  
"I'll take her from here. It's not good place for healing." She decided. All guardians agreed. "Tremor, I'm leaving Brute to you." The earth guardian nodded and Ivory flew away. All guardians turned back at Vengantimos. That was, when they noticed that right next to Spyro was staying Vixen. The black dragoness smiled to him mysteriously.  
"You have to go with me." She said. The purple dragon tried to speak, but she interrupted him. "Someone very precious for you is in danger." She whispered.  
"What are you talking a..." Then, Spyro's thoughts focused on didn't answer, but straightened her wings and started flying in direction of city. Spyro watched all his friends with asking sight.  
"Go." Flame said. "We'll deal with them." Spyro jumped in the air and followed the black dragoness, right next to him was flying Sparx.  
"So, how are we going to finish this?" Icey asked everyone. "Great battle or duels?" Atroz licked his lips, as he watched the lightning guardian.  
"Duels." He said to wyverns and he started running to dragons. "Come on, Stella!" He shouted.  
"Remember everyone, Sable's mine." The lightning dragoness whispered and she jumped in the air to fly to Atroz. She dove and they were about to clash, when between them appeared stream of fire, from which jumped before Stella Infernus, facing Vengantimo for himself. At this same moment, Sable attacked Stella's side by surprise. She leaned down right beneath his sword and slashed with paws. Cuarto leaned back smoothly and swung his sword at her vertically. The dragoness jumped back. Sable's sword got stuck in ground that was perfect opening for her. She shot lightning to the wyvern. Sable took second blade from scabbard and countered it with electricity. At that moment, next to Stella appeared small bomb. But before it exploded, between it and her grown wall of earth. Brute, who was already next to Atroz, turned around to see Tremor. He blocked slash of talons by gauntlet saving his life, but strength of blow threw him to the ground so he rolled down to the very foot of hill. The earth guardian followed him, attacking with earth bullets. Stella dodged another blow of Cuarto's sword and started flying away. Sable was right behind her. Atroz turned around and cursed, seeing that he lost chance fighting against the lightning dragoness. He dodged another fireball and jumped in the air.  
"Catch me if you can, you weakling!" He shouted to Infernus while flying away from hill indirection opposite to Stella's. The wyvern didn't have to repeat himself, Infernus chased after him without hesitations.  
After this short encounter, at the top of hill remained Candice, Flame, Ember, Espejo and Icey. They all watched their enemies carefully. Silence was lasting for long. Too long.  
"Come on, guys, don't stuck here like that for eternity!" Espejo said when his impatience made him attack. He was fast. Very fast. Flame barely noticed, when he appeared between him and Ember and hit them both sending on the ground at opposite sides. Candice shot at him an ice spike, but he leaned down in fraction of second. She did it again, but this time, it flew several centimeters from his face. Espejo jumped at Ember and they started rolling down hill. Finally, at foot of hill, the pink dragoness kicked him away with hinder legs, next to her stood Flame. Vengantimo smiled.  
"Two versus one? It's going to be interesting battle, guardians."

At this same moment, next to the ice guardian appeared Icey. He slashed at her face, but she blocked blow and stabbed his throat. From wound dripped water. It was just an imitation. She turned around and glared at Icey standing in front of her. He watched the dragoness his cold, blue eyes filled with hatred.  
"Did you kill Mar?" He asked her.  
"Yeah, personally. Was he your friend?" Candice took paw out of ice imitation, which fell on the ground. Vengantimo nodded slowly.  
"Student. Candice, I swear that you'll pay for this. I'll pierce your chest with ice and slit your throat."  
"I assure you, it's going to be completely opposite." Candice disagreed. Icey smiled with something like pity. It looked at least disturbing, composed with his cold, blue eyes.  
"I love fighting against dreamers. Their sight, when they understand that they've lost... it's priceless."  
"I'll enjoy watching this sight in your eyes, Icey." She replied. Vengantimo watched her coldly.  
"You know, why my element is the most powerful of all wyverns?" He asked, but heard no answer. He didn't even expect it. "Because only I allied with a dragon to become mighty as them and kill dragons. I'm the only Vegantimo, who joined Primero by his own decision. For that I could be the dragon slayer." Candice watched him surprised.  
"Primero is...a dragon?" She asked. She knew, it was possible, but it still was hard to believe.  
"Yes. And now..." Next to Vengantimo appeared an ice imitation. "...hurry up and die." Then, there fell heavy rain. The storm begun.

Spyro and Vixen were flying in silence, when young dragoness started whistling some careless melody, quite fast and lively. After about half a minute, she started singing silently.  
"Rain wasn't made of water,  
Snow didn't have a place on the sun.  
So we slipped behind the rainbow  
And laid back till we had done..." Spyro watched her with impress. He had to admit that she was talented singer. Her voice was very melodic, he heard no discord though the song was fast, jumpy and most likely hard one. Vixen noticed that sight.  
"What? Was it that bad?" She asked.  
"No, no. Oppositely."The purple dragon refused quickly.  
"Just please don't tell Sable that I'm singing, he'd laugh." Vixen pleased.  
"No problem." Spyro promised and Vixen wanted to sing again. "Vixen?" Spyro called the black dragoness interrupting her.  
"I think we shouldn't converse anymore. After all, we're enemies."The black dragoness noticed with such a voice, as if she not really believed her own words.  
"Actually, we aren't fighting, so I see no problem. I thought that you, like Sable, love talking." Spyro noticed.  
"Indeed, I do, but I'm stricter. Oppositely to him, I love speaking only with clever and handsome dragons. Like you." She was speaking in such a way that there were no doubts about suggestiveness of her words. Spyro blushed slightly, but quickly hid embarrassment.  
"Hold on with words like that. You know, you can't count on any feelings like that from me." He noticed, seriously concerned, if she was just playing with him or really meant it.  
"Yeah, but you're worth every try. I've always dreamt about you." Vixen giggled childishly, as she understood that she had confused him. "Anyway, what did you want to ask me about?" She watched him curiously. It took a while for Spyro to remind himself his question.  
"Haven't you ever had any doubts?" He asked. The black dragoness jerked her head in surprise. Smile disappeared from her face.  
"What do you mean?"  
" you need any more explanation?" Spyro clarified. Vixen remained silent and watched him considering the answer.  
"No, that's just enough." She answered after several seconds. "From my point of view, revenge isn't right.I don't approve what my dad does. Revenge brings only pain, nothing more and nothing less." She confessed with cold voice.  
"When you don't approve, why won't you oppose, leave Venganza? You don't have to stay at his side." Spyro watched her with disbelief. He still believed that she would change her mind. Vixen just laughed sadly.  
"Leave where? Do I have any other place to go? Venganza is my place, my home, my family." She explained. "Spyro, I'm just a youngster, what can I change? It's a miracle that I have another judgment of Venganza than my father. And also, I won't betray someone, who raised me, who truly loves me. I owe him too much for I could turn my back on him when he needs me."  
"He isn't your real father." Spyro noticed. The black dragoness sighed silently.  
"Spyro..." Then she smiled. She had such a beautiful smile, just like Cynder's. "Oh, I love speaking your name. It's so cute...Spyro." Then, she placed her paws at heart. " Spyro..." She said with such a passion, as if she was at least in love with him. Then,she giggled and Sparx gave her this kind of sight, as if she was insane. The dragonfly turned at his brother and barely managed to don't burst out with laugh, seeing his both embarrassment and confusion. He wasn't put in such a situation really often, especially not with such a youngster as her. "Anyway, it's not about blood ties. Even, if someone isn't relative to you at all, you can treat him as family. You know, what I mean." Vixen gave Sparx meaningful sight. Spyro nodded. He understood that very well. From the beginning he knew that it wasn't good argument from him, but it was worth trying.  
"At our first meeting you said that you're not just a youngster and at your age I and Cynder made something great. Why can't you?" He still argued. Vixen giggled silently.  
"My own words against me..." She said to herself in disbelief. "Don't convince me anymore. Nothing will change my mind, all what you do right now just bothers me. Or rather both of us." She asked him, but purple dragon wasn't going to give up.  
"You know that someday I'll have to kill you, or oppositely? Most likely, even today." Spyro argued. The black dragoness felt creeps hearing that. She never wondered about that at all.  
"I won't be able to kill you, it's not my dilemma. Spyro, just stop. Please." She begged him. The purple dragon, after moment of hesitation, agreed.

Spyro and Vixen flew above city and landed in front of house, where Cynder was. Seeing that, Spyro understood everything. He wanted to get to the house right away, but the black dragoness stopped him.  
"Spyro, listen to me. When you get in remain calm and everything will be fine." She gave him advice. He nodded and they went to house. First thing, which Spyro noticed, was Genesis. The fire breather was lying on the ground with twisted front arm, at his head was small wound, effect of hitting wall with it, as the purple dragon guessed, when he saw crack at the wall next to him. Spyro acknowledged with relief that his sides were moving. Then, he saw Cynder. She was sleeping in her rays of sunshine was glowing her back through the window behind her. There was someone behind her.  
"So you finally brought him, Vixen. It took you a while." Spyro heard male voice. He knew it. He watched with anger the newcomer, who said those words. The green dragon was standing behind Cynder. His tailblade was touching her neck. "How about we play a game, huh, Spyro?" Douten smiled devilishly to the purple dragon. "Give me one good reason why shouldn't I kill your beloved Cynder could you?"


	47. Fire of wrath

Chapter 47. "Fire of wrath"

Atroz fell on the ground with the great momentum and rolled away quickly avoiding a stream of Infernus's fire. The wyvern shot three needles from his gauntlet, but dragon melted them, he felt a drip of iron burning his cheek. Both fire breathers landed on the ground. They stood ten meters from each other and started making slow circles, carefully watching the enemy.  
"Your skills are quite impressive...as for someone like you, of course." Atroz judged.  
"Someone like me?"Infernus repeated slowly with angry hint.  
"Yeah. From all eight of them, you aren't guardian or really powerful warrior. You'rejust an ordinary dragon, who had enough luck to charm Stella."  
"Does it change a thing?" Infernus asked with growing impatience and annoyance.  
"Yeah, it makes battle much easier for me." Vengantimo grinned.  
"Fact that I'm not guardian doesn't describe my fighting skills." Atroz laughed.  
"Do you believe so? Then tell me, have you fought any of Vengantimos? No. When there was a battle, you were calling for help or babysitting. Doyou think that someone so inexperienced can defeat me? I could killCandice, there will be no problems in killing you."  
"Do you think that I would give up, even if you were right?" Infernus riposted. Thewyvern giggled with pity.  
"Pride,so up, dragon, run away and save your pathetic life. I don't care about you." Atroz offered.  
"Then what do you care about?" Every second of that conversation was making Infernusangrier.  
"Candice. I really want to pay her back for this." He pointed his metal mask which was covering half of his face. "If I deal with you quickly enough, I'll come back to her, when she'll be still alive, and I'll get my vengeance." He smiled devilishly. "The last time we met it was so close. This time, no one will disturb me." The fire dragon watched Vengantimo with contempt. He knew what wyvern meant, it was too easy to read it in enemy's voice to overlook it.  
"You're sick." The dragon hissed hatefully. "Let's finish this quickly, Atroz."  
"So you're not going to give up?" Vengantimo asked with disappointment.  
"Isn't that obvious?"Infernus made fighting stance. Atroz smiled.  
"Indeed, it is. Before fight, tell me your name. I hate fighting unnamed enemies."  
"I am Infernus." The fire breather started running to the enemy without waiting for enemy's answer.  
"Not so impulsively, Infernus." Atroz stepped back, right when he was about to be slashed. Both fighters jumped in the air and released streams of fire. All trees and ground beneath them were covered in red light, as their elements encountered each other. Atroz stopped fire to quickly appear at Infernus's side. The dragon noticed that and tried to fly away, but he was too slow. The wyvern slashed his side and landed on the ground with his back to the enemy. He smiled, glaring at blood at his talons.  
"That's all? I expected more, even from you." He turned slowly at dragon. "Infernus..." Then, he saw that his enemy was gone. "What the..." He turned at left. Just in time to jump back in the air, away from stream of fire, but too late to prevent his tail getting burnt. When Atroz was busy with avoiding enemy's attack, Infernus flew to him from beneath. Vengantimo dodged a fireball, but didn't notice slash of enemy's talons. Atroz saved his life jerking head and flew away from enemy again. He landed on the ground and touched mask in place where dragon's talons pierced through it leaving on his face three bloody marks. He smiled.  
"Attacking blind spot, huh? You're tricky. And I expected this fight to be boring." He took the metal mask off, showing muscles of face. Then, he threw it to the ground. "Alright, from now, let's stop talking and start serious fight."  
"Won't you take off that gauntlet? Against fire breathers it's useless." Infernus noticed.  
"This gauntlet is symbol of my power. It proves that I'm Quinto Vengantimo." The wyvern raised his paw to let Infernus clearly see his symbol. Those were five rubies, some lighter and some of them darker. They were connected and together in such a way that they looked like flames.  
"You're just fifth? I thought you were..."  
"Third? No." He smiled seeing surprise at his face. "You're lucky. If your opponent was Secunda or Tercera, there would remain only dust after you. But it doesn't change a thing, dragon, you'll die here."  
"And I thought you would finally shut up." The dragon replied. Vengantimo hissed. They both jumped in the air. The first duel has just begun.

"I'm bored." Sierra was lying at floor and watching around. "What are we supposed to do here?"  
"I have no idea. We can't do anything in so small house." Zealous replied. Like all youngsters, she was annoyed with that situation. They all were just lyingon the ground and trying to find any entertainment.  
"I don't know, how about you, but I'm going outside." Torch stood up and started walking to exit. Everyone watched him surprised.  
"Yeah, I'm going too." Zap stood up also and followed him.  
"Wait, parents told us to stay here!" Sierra opposed trying to stop them.  
"Yeah and you always obey your parents, right?" Zap her asked with irony.  
"Come on, sis, what bad will happen, if we leave for a moment?" Tundra asked her sister.  
"Fine, I'm going." Sierra stood up, ready to go. "Zealous, are you?" Thepurple dragoness was already next to Torch, right before the door.  
"Isn't that obvious?" Torch asked."Let's go before Angelo wakes up." They all nodded and walked silently to the exit. They had already left and Sierra was closing slowly door, when they heard voice.  
"Where are you going?" At the corridor, there appeared Angelo. "Kids, come back inside."  
"We wanted to just take a walk, Mr. Angelo." Zealous answered, before anyone else said a word. The lighting dragon gave all youngsters annoyed sight.  
"I've already told you that you're supposed to remain here. Come in."  
"We're going." Sierra said. Angelo smiled and turned around.  
"Come on, I'll find you some..." Then he heard beating of wings. "No." He turned around, back to the door. There was no one. "No way." He ran outside and saw that all five separated and each one of them flew in another direction. "Sweet."He jumped in the air and followed one of them. "Guardians won't be pleasured, if they hear about that."

"Don't avoid me for eternity!" Atroz shouted while shooting another fireball. They both were flying higher and higher, but the dragon was above his enemy. "Attack me!" The wyvern demanded. Infernus rolled away from a stream of fire. When he turned around and released fire aiming at the enemy, Atroz answered with this same. The fire made impossible for them to see each other. Infernus smiled. It went just as planned. Without stopping fire, he suddenly dove to the wyvern rapidly increasing speed and reducing distance. The dragon appeared from stream of fire and flew right next to his enemy slashing his side, with all he had. At end, he bit his hinder leg and jerked his head rapidly. Thewyvern groaned in pain and kicked dragon away with second hinder leg. Vengantimo noticed that his enemy was dumbstruck temporary and he used that fact. He dove to dragon, they crushed and started falling. Atroz was above Infernus. "You lost!" Thewyvern shouted. Neither of fire breathers could move his arms or legs. They were about to crush on the ground, when wyvern jumped away,or rather, tried to jump away. At that moment, his paw was caught by Infernus, who partly straightened one of his wings. In effect, they both slowed down pretty much, but fell to the ground next to each other with still painful speed. Infernus was first one to stand up. He quickly jumped back expecting attack, but nothing like that happened. Atroz slowly stood up, several meters from him. He hobbled, all his left side was bleeding. The wyvern smiled devilishly.  
"Indeed, this fight becomes interesting. You're using my own tricks against me. Distracting with elements and crushing flight. Not bad." Quinto admitted.  
"This same trick doesn't work out twice, wyvern." Infernus replied.  
"You know, I was wondering, how's that possible." Atroz said.  
"What?" Infernus asked, wondering what was stopping him from attacking wyvern.  
"How's that possible that so weak and average dragon managed to interest Stella in himself? I mean, you can be her puppy, but not mate. You're so slow and weak. I already see that you're not good enough for her. You understand, what I mean, don't you?" Infernus understood. He understood that nothing was stopping him from attacking. He started running to the wyvern. "Let's become serious." Atroz said, as he straightened his right arm and shot his only three needles. Infernus didn't even notice, when all three of them appearedin his left shoulder. Pain paralyzed him for second. He felt blow of talons. Before dragon fell on the ground, Atroz turned around and hit him with clubbed tail at ribs. Infernus groaned painfully, as blow reached him. Then, Atroz flew into him, hitting his chest with head. The wyvern stood several meters from dragon and watched him, lying in pain. "You're trickster, but once it's real battle, you stand no chance. Stand up! I want you to die in fight!" Hestarted running to enemy. Then, Infernus rapidly stood up and jumped to Vengantimo. He swung paw pointing at throat, but at this same moment, the wyvern stopped and leaned head back, avoiding talons for centimeters. Both fighters at this same moment shot to each other fire balls, which exploded between them. The explosion of fire so close to them threw both fire breathers away and caused appearing of big cloud of dust. Thewyvern coughed hardly and wiped out tear, which was caused by sand in his eye. When all dust fell on the ground, he looked around. He was staying at the verge of forest, at his left, there was dense forest. He searched for his enemy, but dragon had simply disappeared. "Where that trickster went?" Thewyvern asked himself, while watching around carefully. Then, he heard some rustle in bush at his left. Vengantimo smiled devilishly. "Attacking my blind spot?" He asked himself. "Clever, but this same trick..." He smiled devilishly as started charging fire in his mouth. "...doesn't work out twice!" He shouted and jerked head, while releasing great stream of fire in trees. Then, beating of wings from behind reached him. He turned around to see Infernus above him, who was releasing his element. He understood that bush was just a decoy, small stone or something like that. Atroz cursed and jumped away. Not fast enough.  
"It's not this same trick." The wyvern heard, while flames dancing around him were burning whole his left side. Atroz jumped in the air and appeared behind dragon. Infernus turned around, blocked first blow, but second paw, the one with gauntlet, reached Infernus's jaw, they started falling. Then, wyvern hit again with clubbed tail, this time ribs. Next, Vengantimo flew quickly behind dragon and stuck talons in his back. He was about to give dragon nasty slash, but Infernus, seeing that, kicked away Atroz by hinder legs. Atroz shot fire, which burnt dragon's tail. The fire dragon hissed angrily and replied with this same, but Quinto avoided attack. Another two fireballs crushed causing explosion even stronger than last one. Both fire breathers barely managed not to crush on the ground, pushed by shock wave. Thanks for wings, they landed hardly at opposite sides of battlefield without breaking any bones.  
"You'll pay for this!" Quinto shouted pointing his left side. "How it happens that all my wounds are at my left side, huh?" Infernus just shrugged.  
"I have no idea, but for me it's miracle that I still haven't hit your heart."  
"Miracle? I don't need any miracle against such a weakling." Atroz watched him with anger. "It's just lack of skills of yours."  
"Could you just shut up and finish that quickly?" Infernus suggested. Atroz laughed loudly hearing that.  
"Finish? You're already dead!" Atroz shouted. Infernus watched him surprised.  
"What are you talking about?" Thedragon asked with growing annoyance.  
"That you'll die here any second." Thewyvern replied confidently. "But before your death, you'll bring me some entertainment." That annoyed Infernus.  
"Quit that babbling and fight."  
"As you wish." Thewyvern bowed in derisive parody of salute, he clenched one of fists and jumped in the air. Infernus joined him in next second. Two fire breathers were flying to each other with incredible speed. When they met, Infernus slashed with his paw, the wyvern blocked blow and swung his talons at him. Infernus jerked head avoiding this for several inches. Both of them flew next to each other without slowing down at all. One second later, Atroz turned around and shot to his enemy stream of fire. Infernus dove beneath it, turned around and enclosed to Vengantimo. Atroz, seeing that, decided not to attack from above, but wait for enemy. The dragon tried to bite wyvern's throat, but Vengantimo easily avoided deadly jaws and opened his, clenched to that moment, fist. Right into Infernus's eyes was poured sand. The dragon closed his eyes for second and it was just enough for Atroz. Vengantimo hit Infernus forehead by gauntlet and chest by clubbed tail. The fire breather felt air rush from his lungs, as he was pushed away for several meters. When he opened eyes, he saw Quinto, who was about to slash his unprotected chest. Infernus beaten back with his wings saving his life, but still, wyvern gave him three bloody markings. The dragon quickly flew away increasing distance. He stopped on the ground, about twenty meters from Atroz, who had just landed too. Infernus had already noticed that the longer he was fighting, more serious mistakes he was doing and more wounds getting. He had to finish that fight quickly. Burning pain in his chest was giving him sureness that he was about to reach limit.  
"So close." Atroz said watching blood at his talons. "I swear, next time I'll kill you."  
"Do ever shut up?" Infernus asked annoyed with all that babbling about his death.  
"No, if I have anything to say."  
"You've already said it, now we can fight."  
"Not so fast."The wyvern stopped him. "I've just figured out, what will be my vengeance, for all, what you've done to me."  
"And what is it?" Infernus really wanted to finish that conversation.  
"I'll kill you quickly and then get to Sable. He's too good hearted to kill Stella, so I'll have some fun with her." The wyvern smiled devilishly. "You know, what kind of fun, don't you?" Infernus gave him hateful glare, hissed angrily and started flying at enemy. In his eyes appeared fire of wrath, pure hatred. Vengantimo made defensive pose. "I think, I vexed him."Quinto said to himself. Infernus slashed strongly with paw, Atroz barely stopped it with his gauntlet. "Calm down, dragon, your anger doesn't change a thing." Infernus pushed away enemy's paw.  
"Are you sure about that?!" Whole chest of wyvern was unshielded, so dragon slashed it and shot stream of fire in flying back enemy. Atroz hissed angrily after stopping ten meters from dragon with partly burnt chest. The dragon didn't give him even a second of rest, he immediately attacked. The wyvern tried to jump in the air, but Infernus caught his hinder legs and crushed him against the ground. He turned around and swung tail, but wyvern rolled away. Vengantimo tried to jump away, when dragon hit his chest making him collapse at his back. The dragon slashed with his paw at, but wyvern blocked blow, kicked the dragon away with hinder legs and jumped in the air. The dragon ran under wyvern and jumped hitting wyvern's chest with head. They both fell on the ground and quickly stood up. Fighters started slowly making circles.  
"So, you want to fight on the ground, huh?" Atroz asked.  
"Isn't that obvious?" Infernus still was furious, he didn't calm down at all.  
"Have I vexed you with those words about Stella?" He watched at eyes of dragon glowing with wrath. "Right, that's also obvious. You're not really talkative, huh?" Silence. "Alright, dragon. Let's finish this now." Atroz jumped to Infernus. He slashed twice, the dragon blocked both blows and burnt side of enemy's face. Then he attacked with tail, but wyvern stopped it with gauntlet. Then, Infernus caught enemy's tail with jaws and jerked head rapidly breaking it. Atroz groaned painfully and lowered his defense. Then, dragon hit wyvern's legs by tail knocking him out. Vengantimo swung his tail pulling surprised dragon to himself and kicked him with both hinder legs pushing him away. Next, the wyvern gave Infernus strong blow at side of head. The red dragon collapsed several meters farther at his back. Above him appeared Vengantimo. He swung paw right at enemy's throat. Infernus rolled away dodging deadly blow for centimeters. Both fire breathers shot in each other streams of fire, each of them felt intensive heat. The dragon, who was lying at his back again, tried to stand up. Suddenly, from flames, above him appeared Vengantimo. He didn't care about burns, he wanted to kill Infernus no matter the cost. The wyvern was about to fall at enemy and started straightening his paw intending to pierce his neck. The red dragon didn't do any defense. He just straightened right arm involuntarily. Vengantimo's paw was getting closer and closer, everything was happening like in slow-motion. Then, ten inches from Infernus's throat, talons of wyvern stopped. The fire breather watched with them with surprise. He felt some liquid swimming down his right arm. Dragon saw that it was stuck in Vengantimo's chest. That blow stopped Quinto. Atroz groaned painfully. His paw was too short, so immobilizing him like that was enough to make him unable to even scratch dragon's head. The wyvern tried to repeat his blow, this time at chest. He raised the paw. He would kill Infernus, if dragon wasn't faster. The dragon quickly slashed throat of Vengantimo. He pushed him away,quickly stood up and jumped back, ready for counter attack. But it had never come. The wyvern was lying at his back on the ground. With slit throat and pierced chest he was dead. For sure. Infernus sighed with relief.  
"Wow. That was close." He said to himself and shook his head with disbelief, not sure, if he actually won. He won. Even, if he almost died, even if all his body was burning with pain of wounds and burns, he succeeded. "I would always call for help or babysit, wouldn't I, Quito?" He asked the dead enemy. The red dragon started walking slowly away from battlefield, when suddenly, all his vision blurred. He fell on the ground, unable to move. "What the..." Right in front of his eyes, there was stuck one of needles, which by Atroz hadwounded him earlier. It was covered in some green liquid. A poison. "Not now! I have to..." Infernus tried to stand up, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. His vision slowly started blurring and turning into darkness, as his eyes started closing. He had this nasty feeling that he was dying.


	48. Battle of words

Chapter 48. "Battle of words"

Zap landed and watched behind. He had lost Angelo. He noticed Torch, about ten meters from him, turned to him with his back. The hatchling sneaked to the fire breather and poked his side. Torch startled, jumped away and turned around.  
"Oh, that's you." He sighed with relief. "Don't do it anymore."  
"Sorry, but I couldn't stop myself. Where are girls?" The lightning dragon asked. At that moment, in front of them landed Sierra and Tundra.  
"Here we are." The ice dragoness said. "Have you seen Zealous?" She asked. Torch shrugged. He had no idea, where could she be.  
"She said something about going to her mother. She said that Angelo would never find her there." Zap answered her question.  
"So how about we go there too?" Sierra asked.  
"Are you sure, it's good idea? Angelo may find us there easily." The fire breather was rather skeptical about this idea.  
"Come on, Torch, he'll never guess that we're there." The lightning dragon tried to convince his friend. Torch rolled his eyes, he not really believed that.  
"Alright, alright, let's go there." He agreed. Zap smiled. Four hatchlings jumped in the air and started flying straightly to Cynder.

Viola stood at the balcony and straightened her wings about to fly. "Douten, you've come after Cynder, haven't you? I know you for too many years not to guess this." She wanted to jumped in the air when she rapidly stopped and curled her wings. "What am I doing? As long as Sable's with Venganza, his life is practically in Douten's paws, if I appear from nowhere and make him escape, then Sable's dead. He won't let Sable live, if I break ultimatum, even if his revenge on Cynder can wait." She watched her paws with remorse. "But it's about Cynder, Douten can kill her whenever he wants. If I head there right now, I may save her." She straightened her wings once more, but she stood still. "But I put Sable's life on the line." She snorted. "Come one, he's just some hybrid and Cynder is living legend! I have to..." But the azure dragoness didn't move. "Living legend or not, I love Sable." She noticed somehow resentfully. "My appearance before him wouldn't change anything, he has some plan and only Stella can stop him. And about Douten..." The azure dragoness sighed deeply. "If he really wants to take his revenge on Cynder, he won't kill her just like that, he'll involve Spyro in that, he will play with them some game. Just killing her would be far too simple for him, otherwise he'd just poison her at the very first opportunity. You won't let her die, will you, Spyro?" The ice dragoness raised her head and watched the stormy sky. "You protect your love, face Douten. I will protect Sable by staying away from this all." She smiled bitterly. "I'll protect my beloved by doing nothing. What a wonderful excuse for my helplessness, isn't it?" She asked herself, as she curled her wings sadly. She knew that her appearance could only mess everything up. "I count on you, guardians." She whispered silently.

Spyro was standing opposite to Douten, who was keeping his tailblade at Cynder's throat. Next to Spyro was Vixen. She was watching the purple dragon with apologizing sight. Spyro turned his head at her. The dragoness, unable to face his eyes, jumped quickly and hid behind Douten. The earth dragon couldn't see her face, but the purple dragon could, and he saw that she really regretted this all. She looked, as if she was going to cry, when she hung her head sadly and watched the ground shamefully.  
"So you've come, Spyro." Douten said with satisfaction. It was shaking a little in a feeling that Spyro would call twisted-minded joy. The purple dragon gave him hateful sight. "Let's start our little game, shall we?" He suggested.  
"Before we start, show me your tongue." Spyro said. The earth dragon laughed surprised by those words. "Don't laugh, show it, Primero. Show me your gem. It's a diamond, as I guess?" Spyro said with ordering voice, confident and cold. Douten stopped laughing. He stuck out his tongue. At its center, there was placed one small diamond. The purple dragon wondered how was it possible that no one had noticed it while a conversation with him.  
"Surprising." Primero said after several seconds of silence, right after he closed his jaws. "Who told you about diamond?" He asked curiously.  
"No one. All Vengantimos have gems placed at their weapons, Sable at swords, Viento at wings and lip, Brute at the gauntlet. And your weapon is tongue. Orders. As the strongest of Vengantimos, their leader, you have the hardest stone- diamond."  
"How did you figure out that I'm Primero? When? Why haven't you done anything about that?" Douten asked with pure curiosity. He couldn't believe that someone worked him out. He was absolutely sure that he had been very careful.  
"Tremor...He..." Spyro whispered. He felt his blood was boiling. "He believed in you!" The purple dragon scolded Primero. "When we all had suspicions about you, only Tremor stood on your side! He said that you'd never do such a thing! That you would never let vengeance corrupt you! And you..." Spyro shook his head with disbelief. "You betrayed your own friends! You betrayed dragons! These same dragons who your parents protected with price of their own life! For what?! Vengeance?!" Spyro shouted, demanding answer.  
"Exactly. Vengeance is all, what I seek for. And Tremor..." Douten laughed silently with something like pity."He is such blind idealist, living in the world which doesn't exist. The dragon kind has committed a great mistake choosing such a dragon for their guardian." Douten said pitifully. "So, did you really have suspicions that I was Primero?"  
"We did, though no one said it aloud. But I wasn't sure of it until now." Spyro said with angry voice."You've left to many tracks leading to you. You told us to go to Teria and Leafen, where were waiting for us Vengantimos. You created all those elixirs and equipment, they're using. And also, when Cynder was poisoned, I lied telling that guardian got hit. And though both female guardians were with me, you said 'she'll be fine'. She. Not he. Finally, I understood, it wasn't just a misspelling. You knew who was target. You planned it." Spyro was already overwhelmed by anger. All the elements of puzzle fit now. If he only figured that out a day earlier...  
"Not bad. I didn't expect you to guess that, even at this point. After all, Venganza being leaded by a dragon is quite ironic, don't you think?" Primero said. "You know, before we start our little game, I think, I owe you explanation how I planned this all, why everything happened in the way it happened."  
"You owe me it?" Spyro asked surprised. "Why?" He asked, expecting deception. He watched his mate carefully, hoping that she wasn't poisoned and Douten wasn't buying himself more time.  
"Just listen to me." Douten pleased. The purple dragon nodded, he wasn't going to oppose. "Everything started when you and Cynder defeated Malefor for the first time. I was so mad that to the killer of my parents was given such great fame that I swore I would take my revenge on her. Planning how to kill her took me only two years. It happened by accident, by the way. You see, when I was at the lower levels of library, helping with cleaning up and tidying it, I found some old tome. It was called 'Forbidden alchemy', so I stole it. No one even noticed that. I had a feeling that it would appear very useful. Indeed, it did. There, I found the recipes of all my elixirs. The most of those were forgotten thousands years ago. Such a waste, isn't it? Whole this the power hidden within those...That's when I decided to create Vengantimos. I traveled to the territory of wyverns, to the kingdom of Celeste Tribu, where I found Vixen. I gave her body of a black dragoness and power of wind. I raised her as my own daughter. Next, I started recruiting all Vengantimos, gave them powers, equipment and gems. Everything was set and about two months ago, three of Vengantimos attacked Warfang. Their point was obvious. They had to kidnap Cynder and Zealous. I wanted to let that black dragoness watch death of her mate and daughter, later torture and eventually kill her. I created whole Venganza just in case, if they had to fight against the guardians. I've never thought I would need them so many times, it's good that I've given them intensive training just in the case. But, as you know, Brute, Atroz and Crue failed. My plan was ruined, only thing they did was poisoning Cynder and Tremor." Douten smiled to himself. "At that point I reminded myself about my so-called friend, the earth guardian Tremor. Planning Cynder's death, I completely forgot about him, to be honest. I planned to fix that mistake immediately, I didn't treat him as serious danger, after all. But my trick with elixirs failed. Why are you so good-hearted, Spyro?" Douten asked with blaming voice. "I could have got rid of him in that very moment."  
"What Tremor did to you?" Spyro interrupted his story. "I thought that you used to be friends."  
"Exactly. We used to be friends. I was supposed to be the guardian of earth, I was always stronger than him. And also, that's only his fault that Gaia died." Seeing that Spyro wanted to argue, Primero interrupted him."Let's not talk about that, it's pointless and I still have a story to tell you."  
"Continue then." The purple dragon suggested coldly.  
"You all were told to come to my city. I couldn't tell only Tremor and Cynder to come, it's obvious that you all would go and then, you would easily find out that I'm Primero. I decided that, if I wanted to have any chance against you, I had to separate you. Only dragons, I planned to keep alive were you, Cynder and Tremor. Rest of them would just stand in my way, they were supposed to be killed by Brute, Sable and Icey, but again, nothing went according to plan. The worst thing happened in Teria. Honestly, I expected Flush to stand on my side. We'd known each other for several years already and I thought that he'd quickly hate Tremor, maybe even Candice too. Unfortunately, I didn't predict that Candice would force those two to become friends and involve Ivory in this all. That's a pity that Flush didn't give Vengantimos choice."  
"Tell it Ivory." Spyro interrupted him, not believing that he'd pity Flush.  
"Trust me Spyro, Flush's death is the only thing I both caused and regret." Douten said. "Anyway, I want to say that there was supposed to be no attack at you. But I was foolish, I haven't noticed Viento's desire to kill Cynder. But you all are here, safe and sound. This far." The earth dragon sighed deeply. "Why nothing goes according to plan?" He asked himself. "Well, is there anything more, I should explain you?"  
"If it's matter of only your vengeance, why do all Vengantimos follow you?" Spyro watched him curiously.  
"Each of them has personal reason. Icey follows me because he blames dragon kind for death of his beloved. Espejo has lost his father and brother who with their own lives protected dragons from Liun ten years ago in some little village, which pushed him to join me. Sable, the banished prince, owes me his life. Atroz and his brothers, wyverns of south, were banished from their tribe for their crimes. They joined me because they had nothing better to do." As speaking those words, at Douten's face appeared slight smile. "Each of them had his own, personal reason. Any other questions?"  
"No, everything else is obvious to me." Spyro replied. Primero smiled.  
"Good. But, time passes and we don't have much of it. Tell me now, why shouldn't I kill Cynder? Think about this, if your first argument is bad, I kill her immediately. Don't hurry." Spyro didn't understand why did Douten want to play that game with him, but he was going to win it. He knew that he had to. He was considering answer for several minutes. He never was in situation like that, it was too unpredictable to plan anything, so all that he could do, was collecting arguments, as much of them as he could.  
"Without Cynder, I wouldn't defeat Malefor. We did it together. Without her, our world would be destroyed. Why should such a heroine be killed?"  
"Heroine? She just changed sides at good moment. Don't forget, who brought you to the Well of Souls. Helping you saving the world was just paying the debt and doesn't justify the fact that she murdered so many dragons. This is bad argument, the game is over." Douten lifted his tailblade, ready to kill Cynder.  
"Let me defend it!" Spyro interrupted him. Douten smiled and nodded. His tailblade came back to the previous position. "She was used by Malefor in bringing me there. The truth is that she didn't trick me into releasing Malefor. She left guardians before Eternal Night, because of stings of remorse. She regretted all that she did when she was controlled by Malefor. If it was her choice, she would never kill any dragon."  
"And you believed her?" Primero asked with amusement. "She doesn't regret anything she did."  
"You haven't heard her crying after your first meeting." Spyro replied. Douten smiled.  
"You hit a point. If you aren't lying, of course." He admitted, but it looked like Douten thought that Spyro was lying. "Cynder lied you. She helped you fighting Malefor only because she knew that he would lose. She did it to survive."  
"Then how would you explain fact that she let Liun die? If she was traitor, she could easily kill me at any moment, especially after battle in old Cynder's fortress. I was weak and exhausted then."  
"She seeks for power. She wanted to see, which one of you is stronger. That's the only reason, she didn't kill you." Douten explained.  
"Firstly, how can you prove it? You talked with her only once or twice. You can't know it. You can't know her." Spyro riposted Primero's argument. "And secondly, at the point, when I lost all my powers, we all knew that I stood no chance against Liun. Even if no one wanted to speak it aloud."  
"You say that I can't know if she seeks for your power and yet, I can see it clearly. Watch deeply into her eyes, when she glares at you. It's not just sympathy. It's sick thirst..." Douten was arguing.  
"Love." Spyro interrupted him. "You haven't experienced it, you can't recognize it."  
"Even I can recognize it. I have feelings." Primero refused purple dragon's words.  
"Someone as heartless as you? You, who tried to kill Tremor, your best friend one day? You, who risk life of your foster daughter in act your selfishness? Don't speak about feelings. You even don't know what they are." Spyro riposted, speaking exactly this, what he found in his heart as true.  
"He has feelings!" Vixen shouted, surprising both dragons. Two males watched her carefully. "He saved me! He raised me and gave me new life!" The black dragoness watched angrily Spyro. "Don't you dare speaking like that, you don't know my father at all!" She scolded him.  
"If he had feelings, he wouldn't expect anything from you. He would give you life of average dragon. He would just rise you and you both would have happy life. Not this." Spyro said directly to the dragoness. "Douten doesn't love you, he's just using you..."  
"You're lying!" Vixen shouted, not wanting Spyro to continue. She simply couldn't listen her father being offended like that. After all, Spyro's words denied all that she believed. "I know that he loves me..." She hung her head again, as her voice trailed off.  
"Enough." Douten interrupted angrily. "That's not are we talking about, Spyro." Primero sighed deeply. "Vixen, you maybe better leave." He suggested.  
"No." She refused. "I won't leave your side." She was determinate about that, as if she wanted to prove Spyro that she was loyal to her father.  
"Alright then." Douten saw no point in refusing her choice. "Where have we finished?" Douten wondered. "Right, you said about so-called love between you and her."  
"Douten, if you want to argue, then give some arguments, don't just refuse mine." The purple dragon noticed. Douten smirked.  
"Fine, I've been waiting for you to say that." Primero was apparently glad from hearing that. "Cynder was controlled, used by Malefor, right?" Spyro nodded. "Then why didn't she even try to release herself from his influence?" Douten asked.  
"Because she couldn't. Since her hatching, all she used to know was darkness and all she did were orders of Malefor. She didn't know that she could change sides. Before I released her, she didn't identify with dragons other then Dark Master. But once, she was free, she changed sides, she understood her mistakes and decided to help me. Not because of will to survive, as you think, but because in bottom of heart, she felt, it was right. Cynder is good-hearted, surely much more good-hearted than me." Spyro persuaded.  
"Than you? I doubt that. She killed many dragons. She should be judged for all she has done. And judgment for killing so many dragons should be death, circumstances make no difference. There's nothing that could justify such a crime." Douten riposted. Spyro cursed in his mind. He had to quickly find some counterargument. And it had to be strong. "Do you give up? Seems like you're much worse at discussion than battle, huh?" Primero smiled pitifully, hoping in his mind that he could kill Cynder already.  
"No worries, I'm not that bad." Spyro replied. "Think about Cynder and Malefor like that: Malefor was the one, who decided to start war and kill all dragons. Cynder was just tool in his hands, unable to make choice or oppose. What should you judge, tool or the user? Sword or warrior?" Douten laughed silently and shook his head in disbelief.  
"Good argument. If I was average dragon, I would say that you won, you're right, sorry, et cetera." Then, at his face, there appeared devilish grin. "But I'm someone more. I am not average." He made effective pause."You asked, user or his tool, warrior, or his sword. My answer would be warrior, of course. But the situation is different. You see, warrior is already dead. What should I do, if warrior died, before I could kill him?" His voice was getting more and more filled with hatred."I would, no, I will destroy the sword, which he used. It's a symbol of all the evil that he caused. It shall not exist. I'll turn it into the silver dust, which will be doomed to the oblivion." Douten smiled devilishly. "You lost Spyro. I'll destroy this sword."  
"Wait!" The purple dragon shouted surprised by those words. Primero's tailblade fell on the ground, he lifted paw and glared at his talons.  
"Too late." Douten enjoyed every word he said. "I always thought that letting Cynder watch your death and then killing her would bring me much more pleasure. But I simply can't waste opportunity like that to kill her." He said to himself. His talons started getting closer to Cynder's throat. Spyro ran to him, trying to stop him and shot to Primero fireball. Then, between them, there appeared high wall of earth. The sudden explosion of heat did nothing to Primero, neither his shield. The purple dragon tried to crash through it, but he was stopped at it. Then, he heard sound of flesh pierced by talons. Single drop of blood fell on the ground. And then, there was more and more of blood. Every falling drip seemed to be louder than explosions to him. All that Spyro heard, was silent laugh of Primero. All that he saw was wall of earth cracked in point, where he hit it. All that he smelled was blood. All that he felt was helplessness.


	49. Duel of the fates

Chapter 49. "Duel of the fates"

Sable landed on the ground, low in his legs, hiding swords to scabbards. At this same moment, in front of him appeared Stella. She shot a lightning, but the wyvern jumped back above it and stood on the ground again. The lightning guardian landed several meters from him. They stood still, not really hurrying to fight right away.  
"It's pleasure to see you again, Stella." Sable started conversation. "I hope I didn't hit you back then?" He asked, actually worried about her.  
"Not even a scratch." Stella replied and smiled.  
"You know, in other circumstances, I would say I'm glad because of this meeting." At first, it looked like just meeting of friends. Though around, there could be heard sounds of battle, they didn't want to finish their conversation.  
"Yes, I'd agree." Stella said sadly. "Sable, you don't have to fight." She noticed. Cuarto laughed silently, but there wasn't anything joyful about it. He shook his head with disbelief. He didn't expect her to say that.  
"Sorry, but I see this otherwise. The choice is simple, you or I, and for both of us, is obvious, what will we choose." For unknown reason, Sable really wanted this battle to be their last one.  
"But we don't have to even start this battle." Stella said, trying to fill Viola's request. Unfortunately, she already had a feeling what was going to be end of this. "My death won't give you anything, neither your death me. We can just turn around and walk away. Just like you asked for at the first time, we met."  
"Stella, those are our fates. Mine is to kill you, yours is to kill me." Sable noticed.  
"Fates?" Stella asked with disbelief. "There is no such thing. We all have own will, nothing is written before we do that." She refused. Sable laughed pitifully.  
"Do you really believe so? We don't have a free choice. Did you choose to posses lightning, to be born in your house, to have the family you have or at least to belong to your race? Did you choose who you fell in love with, who you've lost? We don't control our lives, it's beyond us. If we did, this world would be different. Better. But we have fates, guiverno dogma. We're just puppets in the hands of fates." Sable remained silent for several seconds. "But that's enough of talking. We shall see who will win this duel of the fates." Stella sighed sadly. She knew she couldn't win this argument. There was something in Sable's voice that told her that he wished to fight her from the bottom of her heart. She only didn't know the reason.  
"So be it." The lightning guardian made fighting stance. In mind, she apologized Viola for what she was going to do to him. She already knew she wouldn't kill Sable, whatever would happen, but still, she had to beat him up a little, maybe even break some bones. Stella admonished herself that she shouldn't talk so freely about it, underestimating Cuarto could be deadly mistake. "This time, I know your tricks, you won't win so easily." She warned wyvern. Sable smiled slightly.  
"That's what I've been expecting from you." Then, he bowed characteristically. "Would you like to dance?" He asked. The guardian laughed silently. He would never cease to surprise her with that courtesy of his. She bowed slightly in respond.  
"I'd be honored." They both jumped in the air. Sable took quickly his katana and swung it in her direction. Stella blocked blow by talons and slashed with paw, but Cuarto blocked it with his own. He tried to slash with tailblade, but dragoness beaten wings flying back and charged lightning. The wyvern rolled at side dodging stream of yellow energy for centimeters. He sent to her wave of lightning from his sword, but dragoness easily dodged it. Sable landed on the ground and wiped out sweat from forehead.  
"That was close." He admitted.  
"I told you that it won't be so easy." Stella remained in the air.  
"Sorry for doubting in your abilities." He apologized and jumped back in the air. In front of her, he started spinning quickly and slashing with swords. Stella blocked all of them for several seconds, and then he suddenly stopped and slashed with blades, one of them high, second low. Stella couldn't dodge that, so she blocked both blades with talons. If she wasn't touching him at two places, making a circuit, Sable would most likely release lightning. Stella charged lightning in her mouth and she was about to release it, but Sable dropped katana from his left paw and stopped her lightning with his own from paw. He beaten back with wings and distance between them increased to several meters. The wyvern looked down at his katana, which had just stuck in the ground. He didn't like idea of dropping it, but otherwise he wouldn't make it in time to shield from that attack.  
"Don't even try." Stella already predicted his plan. Sable with just one sword was great advantage for her, after all.  
"Or what?" The wyvern replied insolently. He dove to the ground right beneath Stella, slowed down several meters above long, green grass and he was about to catch his sword, when in front of him, there appeared the dragoness. Sable put feet on the ground suddenly stopping and leaned back avoiding her tailblade. The guardian finished spinning around slashing with paw, Cuarto blocked blow with sword. Then, she shot stream of lightning at him, but Sable countered it by his own from left paw. Stella slashed with second paw, wyvern jumped away, but not fast enough. Sable watched three long bloody signs at his side.  
"Element from limbs doesn't work well for you, Sable." Stella noticed.  
"Just scratches, nothing that can't be healed." The wyvern replied. He enclosed paw to his side and between it and his wound started jumping small lightning. After several seconds, scratch was gone. "See? Now, could you give me back my katana?" Sable pleased. Stella smiled, but she shook her head.  
"I'm not going to lose advantage that easily."  
"Oh dear, can't you just give me it back for once?" The wyvern asked, but guardian shook her head.  
"As you've already said, I'm not hurrying to grave." She replied. Cuarto sighed deeply.  
"Then I'll just take it, whether you like it or not." He decided.  
"You'll try." Stella watched him as if he was a little hatchling who she was playing with. They jumped in the air, Sable swung sword releasing wave of lightning to her. Stella flew above it and then, wyvern suddenly dove to his sword. "Not again, Sable!" The dragoness shouted at him. Cuarto just smirked. He lifted his head to check, where she was, when he felt blow of fist in his face and fell on the ground. He saw the lightning guardian taking katana with her tail and throwing it away behind herself. Sable slowly stood up and wiped out blood from his lips.  
"That hurts." He took sword, which he had just dropped and watched the second one, between which and him was staying Stella.  
"I told you, it's not going to be so easy." The lightning guardian noticed. Sable ran to her. He sent several waves of lightning, but Stella countered them all. Cuarto jumped in the air above her and tried to slash her back, but dragoness blocked it with talons. Her tailblade was about to reach him, when Sable stopped it with his own, beaten wings and landed with his back to her. He quickly turned around blocking stab of tailblade and jumped back. They shot electricity at this same moment, Sable from sword, Stella from jaws. Elements encountered at halfway creating point glowing with intensive light. It was slowly moving to wyvern.  
"You're losing!" Stella said to Sable and she would smile, if she hadn't to keep her mouth opened.  
"Dreams." The wyvern caught sword with both arms, his lightning rapidly became lighter and started enlightening. It stopped in halfway between two fighters. "I can keep it all day, and you? And I can even talk normally." Sable smiled, seeing that Stella was in trouble, since his lightning was a little stronger than her. It was enclosing to her, centimeter by centimeter. Then, the guardian started running to him, quickly reducing distance. Sable cursed, knowing, what she was planning. Closer she was, it was harder to keep their elements under control. When she was three meters from him, light was too intensive, they both had to close their eyes. Sable started making circles, making Stella do this same. They reached their limits at this same moment. Released electricity created impossibly loud explosion, throwing them both away. Stella rolled away for several meters. She stood up and flicked the sand from her scales. Cuarto didn't fall. Shock wave pushed him right next to his second katana. He smirked seeing this and took it from ground. He waited for several seconds before saying something. Both he and Stella heard terrible, high squeal, an effect of that explosion.  
"See?" He asked. "That wasn't that hard to get it. And now we can start real battle."  
"A real battle?" Stella, who still could barely hear him and was sure that she missed some part of his sentence, watched her surprised. "What do you mean?"  
"We've been given wings to fight in the air, not stuck on the ground. Remaining down here is... wasting our abilities." Cuarto explained.  
"You're speaking, like you hadn't been flying for a long time."  
"You have no idea." Sable jumped in the air. He closed eyes in pleasure, as he felt wing sailing over his wing. He loved flying since ever. When he was younger, he used to fly with Sonrisa for all days, would be late for trainings and don't come back to home at night. That's why time, when he had broken wing right after being banished was real torture for him. But he didn't hate that time for this, it was nothing compared to pain after loss of family. Sable shook his head. "No time for this." He said to himself and looked for Stella. He had the fight to finish. Meanwhile, the guardian swung her talons, attacking him from behind. Cuarto quickly turned around and blocked them just in time.  
"Something's wrong?" The dragoness asked, while forcing with him. Sable pushed her away.  
"No need to worry about me. We're enemies after all." They both sent to each other streams of electricity.  
"It doesn't mean I mustn't like you." She replied while dodging stream of electricity.  
"Isn't that troublesome for you? To fight someone you like?" Sable asked, pushed by curiosity. They encountered again and watched deeply into each other's eyes, between them, there were only centimeters.  
"Isn't it for you?" Stella asked sadly.  
"It is." Cuarto admitted. They pushed each other away and sent two lightnings, which crushed at the midway. They started aerial battle. For long time they were flying to each other, dodging, blocking, dashing, attacking, stabbing and swinging blades trying to wound, or at least scratch each other. None of them had any advantage for longer than two or three minutes. There were several moments, when battle was about to end, but every time they managed to avoid serious blows, though just for centimeters. After ten minutes of fighting, Sable landed on the ground and hid swords. He was completely exhausted, just like Stella. Cuarto leaned and let both arm hang freely, trying to slow down breath.  
"I have to admit..." He was breathing quickly, what made speaking very hard for him. "...you're very...demanding opponent..." He placed one of paws at right cheek and healed small, but burning wound.  
"I have one question, Sable." Guardian's breath started lowering already. "You're using lightning to heal yourself. Does it mean that anyone can heal himself with element?"  
"No, it's not that simple. Everyone, who uses any healing or regenerating of body, must have magical skills." The wyvern explained.  
"So you can use magic? You know, real magic, like in fairy tales?" She asked curiously.  
"Nope, not in the battle. Medical magic is the weakest one, most of medics aren't strong enough, so their magic, like mine, is completely useless in time of fight." He stopped healing himself, at his cheek, there was no mark of any wound. "I don't want to bore you with this theory..."  
"No, no, speak, it's interesting and we both can rest a little, in safe distance of course." The lightning guardian sat on the ground, after several seconds of hesitation, Sable did this same. The break wouldn't do anything bad to any of them.  
"To simplify, I can say that there are three levels of magicians. First one is group of average healers. Their magic is weak, it can heal only small and simple breaks or wounds, nothing especial. Second one is group of talented ones like me or Ember..."  
"And about your modesty you can speak for hours, huh?" Stella interrupted him. Sable smiled.  
"Very funny. Second class of medics can heal the most of common wounds, even internal injuries, but most often, their magic is still too weak to be used in battle. Tough that, with hard work, they can save life."  
"And what's the third one?" Stella asked curiously.  
"It's the rarest kind of medics, there rarely live more than several of them at this same moment. Geniuses. Those, who great magical powers, like Ivory, have in their genes. Some of them had to partly or completely sacrifice their own element for those skills, but their power is surely worth of it. They aren't just perfect healers, able to heal almost every wound. They can also use magic in the time of battle, every of them had some special skill. I heard stories about stopping time, streams of energy turning enemies into dust, shock waves, and shields of energy or healing techniques, which are for us, average medics, unattainable."  
"Like what?" Stella asked.  
"Blood magic, exchange of lifes, written by f." Sable gave an example.  
"Shouldn't it be called exchange of lives? There's not such a word as lifes." Stella noticed.  
"It's true, but Lian made a misspelling while calling this technique and so, it remained exchange of lifes." Cuarto explained, smiling slightly. "Maybe it's not the perfect example, since in theory, exchange of lifes is possible to learn for average dragon, but still, extremely hard. It's forbidden, dark and yet, one of the most powerful techniques. It uses life energy of its user to save someone else. It owes its name to the fact that to activate such spell, blood of healer and healed must be mixed, even scratches at paws are enough." Sable explained.  
"Life energy? Wouldn't someone using that die?" Stella asked.  
"Yes, its user would die. As I heard, this technique was used only once. The dragoness, who invented it was called Lian. That dragoness, seeing danger in using that technique, had forbidden it."  
"So who did it?" Stella asked with growing curiosity. "Who used it?"  
"Lian herself. She couldn't let her son die, so when everything else had failed, she used that to save him. She made the greatest act of love for him. Sacrifice." Cuarto slowly stood up and got ready to attack. "Stand up. Let's finish this fight." The lightning guardian stood up, but didn't make offensive, neither defensive pose.  
"Already? I enjoyed your talking." Stella complained.  
"You better don't let your guard down. I have something special for you." Sable warned her.  
"Something special?" The dragoness asked, intrigued.  
"I've never used it at the real battle." He said. "Vengantimos of ranks fourth and higher have their own, special ability, which should be used only at critical moment. Like this. It's something... unusual. Unnatural, something that no one before had seen."  
"I feel honored." Stella made defensive stance. She had bad feelings about that.  
"Why?" Sable asked with disbelief. "Because scum like me, who stole from dragons their element, will show you ability, which he's going to use to kill you? I find there nothing to be proud for." His words were slow and cold, filled with contempt to himself.  
"I'm your first opponent, who deserves to see it. I treat this as honor." Stella smiled seeing his surprise. "Come on, bring it, Sable." She suggested, wondering what could that be.  
"As you wish." The wyvern took from scabbard katana.  
"Only one? You were fighting so intensively to get your second sword." The lightning guardian noticed.  
"Using that with both katanas is too tiring for me. And besides, this one will be just enough." He took sword in both hands and enclosed it to himself, so it was perpendicular to ground now, its edge seemed to divide his face into two halves. The wyvern closed eyes. "Stella, the dragon guardian, this is my ultimate ability. Saber of lightning." He took deep breath. "Sable del Relampago." Cuarto whispered, about to release his real power.


	50. Sable del Relampago

Chapter 50. "Sable del Relampago"

"Sable del Relampago." Cuarto whispered. Then, he opened eyes, from which there was pulsing yellow energy. Next, stream of lightning suddenly covered whole blade of his sword. He swung katana quickly creating great wave of lightning, which flew right next to the guardian. Stella's eyes grew wide in surprise. It was so fast that she had barely noticed it. Point of Cuarto's sword touched the ground. Sable made two quick swings releasing two waves of electricity. Those were much faster and glowing much more intensively than any of previous ones. Stella jumped above both of them, Cuarto appeared behind her. He was much more speedy than previously. He released another wave, guardian dove to the ground. Then she jumped back avoiding his thrust. She was a bit too slow, katana touched her right front paw. The dragoness shot lightning to him, but Sable absorbed it with his blade. Meanwhile, the dragoness increased distance between them. She had problems with moving her right front arm, but slowly, she started regaining sensation in limb. She watched Sable's blade carefully. The lightning kept covering it, it didn't disappear right after releasing element, like earlier.  
"Did I hit you?" Sable asked with note of worries, Stella nodded.  
"But now, I understand, how it works." She said. The wyvern smiled.  
"I'm listening, then." He was really curious, what she figured out.  
"You release great amounts of electricity from that blade and keep it covered in lightning, so you not only have good offense, but perfect defense. I can't enclose to it, not speaking of touching it and you'll be able to block all my attacks and absorb my lightning. But, your Sable del Relampago has a weak point."  
"Which is?" Sable asked. He really wanted to know, if she really found that out so quickly.  
"Time limit. If there was none, you would use both your swords and you weren't so tired after using it for several seconds." She explained. Sable smiled.  
"Clever, I guess you also have some strategy already?"  
"You think I'll tell it to you?" Stella answered. Cuarto laughed silently and shrugged.  
"It was worth trying." He started running to Stella, reducing distance between them. He slashed with sword. Stella jumped above the wave of lightning and attacked with paw, but she quickly understood her mistake. Sable blocked her paw with his and swung sword horizontally aiming at her. The guardian easily dodged it leaning down, but then, wyvern, who continued turning around, kicked her away. The dragoness increased distance again. She knew that though she understood his skills, repeating frontal attack would be reckless. Especially when even the most powerful blow of lightning would just charge Cuarto up. Sable didn't give her time for making strategy. He jumped flew to her quickly, sending to her another lightning. The guardian started flying to him too, ready to attack. Cuarto watched her, surprised by her recklessness. He shot right to her the wave of electricity, when Stella made sudden turn avoiding it for centimeters. She started flying away. Sable grinned, as he realized her plan.  
"So that's your strategy?!" He asked derisively. "You'll avoid me for eternity?!"  
"You'll reach your limit soon." Stella noticed.  
"Be careful, you may be first."The wyvern replied and chased after her. Cuarto was getting closer to her every second, so dragoness made a sudden turn, flew next to him and, from safe distance, tried to shoot lightning at his back, but wyvern spun, releasing a circle of his element which shielded him. He released two another streams of electricity, but Stella avoided them. She was trying to increase distance between them all the time.  
"Have you noticed that this time we're fighting completely opposite way? Last time, it was battle of swords and talons, now, just electricity." Sable noticed.  
"It's quite hard to fight against that sword at short distance." Stella replied.  
"Come on, at least try!" Sable encouraged her, half-jokingly. The guardian rolled away dodging another wave of lightning. All of sudden, she saw his katana enclosing to her side. She didn't even realize when Sable managed to come so close. He was definitely too fast. The dragoness bounced it with tailblade, throwing it out high above herself, but paralyzing her tail as well. Half a second longer touch and she would say goodbye to her hinder legs too, she already felt effects of his blow in there. Then, she attacked with paws Sable who blocked her blow with paw. The guardian had advantage since Cuarto's only sword was still in the scabbard. Stella blocked one of his paws and shot lightning, but wyvern started forcing with her by lightning from his paw. He was losing, but then he spun, avoiding stream of electricity, kicked her pushing away and caught katana, which had been whirling above them all that time. The sword glowed with electricity, as Sable slashed. Stella flew at side avoiding a wave electricity, when wyvern threw blade at her. The guardian flew beneath it. At that moment, Sable dove from above, swinging his second sword at her. Stella flew under him dodging wave of lightning for centimeters, she headed to the ground. Sable landed in front of her. He hid sword which he was holding in that moment and took second one from the ground. He was already tired, enclosing to his limit. Stella was watching her enemy carefully. From last fight she had learnt about him quite lot. Though it was completely different type of duel than that in the city, she already started understanding his fighting style. But still, there was something wrong about him. His movements were fast, but... too obvious. At their last meeting, his attacks were much more unpredictable. Now, whole his body was screaming about his next move, as if he tried to warn her at every opportunity he had. He could surprise her at first, but avoiding him was simply too easy, as if on his purpose. Something was not right, but she couldn't figure out, what was that.  
"What's wrong?" She asked wyvern.  
"Nothing." Sable jumped in the air and followed after her. This time, guardian planned to be careful, she wasn't going to fall on any of his tricks again. Stella started tricking him into losing his energy for missed attacks. Her plan was to exhaust him so much, he wouldn't be able to fight and then try again to change his mind, or, if there was no other solution, drag him to the city.

For next ten minutes, which were passing unbearably slowly to the fighters, two lightning users were playing with each other, Sable was giving his best to get Stella, who was avoiding him all the time. She didn't even try to attack knowing that it would be pointless. Yeah, committing suicide was definitely pointless. Eventually, the lightning guardian was flying low, right above the ground, Sable was twenty meters above her. The dragoness meant to turn, but every time she tried to do so, Sable made her change direction by wave of electricity. Suddenly, he shot lightning in front of her, Stella rapidly stopped and she was about to change direction, but she was too slow. The wyvern was already diving at her ready to slash her. He swung his blade right before her face. Stella jumped back, charging electricity in her mouth meanwhile. As her paws touched ground, she sent to Sable powerful lightning. Cuarto absorbed it with his katana. Then, he flew quickly to the lightning guardian.  
"Stop running away!" He shouted, as he swung his blade, again missing Stella for centimeters.  
"Or what?" Stella asked, as she flew away for about ten meters and landed in puddle of water. It was storm, so those were everywhere.  
"This." Sable whispered. He raised his sword and stuck it into ground, so blade touched the puddle, where the lightning dragoness was. She tried to jump in the air, but then lightning went across her body. It wasn't as powerful, as the first one she had experienced from his technique. It was just small fraction of his previous power, but still, she fell on the ground, temporarily unable to move. Sable ran to her, his sword started glowing with lightning more intensively. It looked like his last, desperate use of Sable del Relampago. He was just about to reach his limit.  
"Move, move, move!" Stella shouted in her mind. Then she cursed silently. She knew she'd regain ability to move in just several seconds, but she perfectly realized that Sable would reach her even faster. Then, Cuarto appeared before her and raised his blade, aiming at guardian's throat. Stella somehow managed to raise her paw and block. Cuarto slashed with his sword. The guardian involuntarily closed her eyes, expecting electrifying, paralyzing pain. She felt sword stopping at her talons. But nothing more happened. She watched Sable with surprise. His sword was no longer covered in lightning. Both his arm were shaking from exhaust, he was breathing hardly. Stella shot lightning from her mouth, Sable jumped away, barely managing to avoid it. He took several steps back when he slipped at puddle of water and he'd collapse, if he didn't lean against his sword just in time. There were no doubts, he had reached his limit. Stella sighed with relief. If not that, she would surely die. She had to admit that without any preparation, fighting such an opponent was extremely hard, especially with her element. The lightning dragoness slowly stood up. She could move almost normally already. But she didn't make any fighting position.  
"Come on, Stella, I still can fight." Cuarto said, seeing that.  
"I doubt that, you've already reached your limit. We don't have to do this, Sable." The guardian tried to convince him once more. He just smiled.  
"You or me, Stella. There's no other way."  
"Sable, please..."  
"Not this time." Sable refused. "This time, I will not avoid fight." In his eyes, glowed something. The lightning dragoness could swear that was tear. Or maybe was it rain? "For once." Then, the dragoness charged lightning and shot it to Sable. She knew Cuarto was too tired to dodge it. But he didn't have to. He shielded with his sword, which absorbed the electricity.  
"Intending to just knock me out?" Sable asked with disbelief. He could feel the power of that lightning, he perfectly knew it couldn't kill him. "Quit it." This wasn't request, his voice sounded firm, demanding.  
"Alright." The guardian made defensive pose. She had to fight him at close distance; he still could protect himself at long range. "Come on, then." She had to knock him out at close range.  
"Will you fight on the ground?" The wyvern asked, surprised. "You give up on advantage of your wings? You could easily kill me, attacking from above." Then, Stella realized that he was too exhausted to even fly.  
"When you made that combo with throwing sword, you also had opportunity to kill me, but you gave me time to dodge. I'm just paying my debt." She explained. Sable smiled.  
"Debt… Just like last time, huh?"  
"Indeed." Stella ran to Cuarto, who took from his scabbard second katana. Stella slashed with both paws, the wyvern blocked them easily. Though he was tired, he didn't lose any of his fencing capabilities. Stella pushed him away and tried to bite, but Sable made her jump back swinging his sword. The dragoness slashed horizontally, Sable dodged one hit, the second blocked, but then, strength of her blow threw his sword away from paw. The dragoness used that opportunity to hit him at face by clenched fist and knocked out with tail wrapping around legs. She could have killed him, but she still wanted to keep him alive. Cuarto rolled away, stood up and took katana from ground. He wiped the blood from his lips and watched it with surprise.  
"Are you playing with me?" He asked with disbelief.  
"Neither of us should die." She tried to persuade him. Cuarto sighed.  
"Can't you understand that it's otherwise? This is our fate, the dragon guardian." He riposted and slashed sword, before she answered. The guardian blocked hit, and counter attacked with both paws. Sable stopped blows and forced with her. He was losing, when he pushed her arms high, catching her out of guard, and touched her throat with both katanas, crossing those. Stella put her arms on the ground, aghast by cold touch of steel. Sable glared at her. Sadly, with the sight of person who really regretted what he was about to do.  
"Why?" He asked. "You could have killed me easily, but you wanted to play with me. For all this time, you were stopping yourself. To keep me alive, am I wrong?" He laughed silently, but it wasn't happy gesture, rather filled with sorrow. It sounded more like a silent cry of person who had already run out of tears. "I'm afraid I can't show you this much mercy, as you meant to show me. You know, Vengantimo's dogma." Drips of blood appeared on edges of swords. "Sorry Stella. I wish it could finish another way." Then, he swung both his swords quickly. The battle was over. Cuarto turned around. The wyvern dropped his katanas into some muddy pond. He made several steps and sat on the ground. He cried silently, while watching the sky which was crying together with him.

Viola was sitting in her room and watching the sky. She hated storms, but there was something else bothering her.  
"Something's wrong?" She heard some voice and saw her father entering her room.  
"That's...nothing, dad." She replied after several seconds of hesitation. She was terrible liar, wasn't she?  
"Viola, please, you can tell me." Blizzard assured her. The ice dragoness was still watching city in the rain.  
"I'm fine dad. I just need to be alone." Viola explain herself.  
"Come on, sit with me and tell me what bothers you." Her father offered. She smiled with relief and sat next to him. Blizzard cuddled her, just like he used to, when she was just hatchling. "So, what's on your mind, Viola?"  
"This weather is so gloomy. It takes away whole happiness of life." She decided not to be straight. Blizzard nodded agreeing with her. "I'm worried about them. I don't want them to die." Viola confessed, quickly giving up on that idea. Completely pointless, as she realized.  
"Guardians will be fine, honey." Her father said, trying to cheer her up.  
"I'm worried not only about them." Viola replied.  
"Sable..." Blizzard sighed deeply. "I thought that you've forgotten about him."  
"How could I?" She asked. "I owe him more than anyone else." Viola noticed. Blizzard watched his daughter pitifully. He wanted to tell her gently that it was unavoidable, that someone had to die. But he couldn't find proper words. He didn't want to see his daughter crying. At least not yet. The ice dragoness glared at her father. "I know, what you think, dad." She turned her head and watched the city hidden in cloak of rain. "But I can't stop deceiving myself with hope." Blizzard smiled and cuddled her even stronger.  
"Don't stop, then. Believe for both of us, honey." Viola nodded.  
"I will, dad." They both watched into darkness of city and listened to the noise of rain. Though her father didn't, her heart still believed that no one good was going to die that day. Though her mind seemed to scream how wrongful she was.

Stella was standing dumbstruck and watching Cuarto. She glared at katanas lying in some pound of water. Swords, for which he used to be ready to die for, now were laying on the ground, covered in mud, as if they meant nothing for him. Then she raised her sight at the wyvern again. She didn't understand anything.  
"Sable?" That was all, she could say.  
"This torment has started. It must be finished. That's our fate." He whispered. He was sitting with his back to her, he couldn't force himself to glare at her.  
"No..."  
"One of us has to die. And from two of us, I am scum." He continued sentence. "You have everything. Friends, home, mate, son. Everything that I'll never achieve. My life is worthless. Just finish it. This is your fate." He pleased. The guardian watched him surprised.  
"No, I can't." She refused.  
"You have to. Our fates are connected, mine is to kill you, and yours is to kill me. I knew it from the very first time I saw you. But I can't fill mine. I shall not." He turned to her and watched her with pleasing sight. "Just finish this." Stella hung her head thinking intensively. After moment of wondering, she replied.  
"Why do you want to die?" She asked. Sable turned around to her and smiled sadly."That's why you used Sable del Relampago so recklessly? To make killing you easier?" He nodded, agreeing reluctantly. "Why?" Stella asked. "And quit this crap about fates, you're using it as just cheap excuse." Sable just sighed deeply.  
"It's complicated." He replied. "You're clever, but I doubt if you'd understand." In fact, it sounded like he didn't want her to know.  
"Will you leave Viola with broken heart just like that?" She asked.  
"She told you..." The wyvern whispered, surprised.  
"Everything. And I promised not to kill you." At first several seconds after hearing that, Sable was unable to say a word. Then he smiled sadly.  
"You surely hesitated a lot, huh? After all, we're enemies."  
"Not even a second." Stella said truthfully. Finally, she saw sparkle of hope to don't let Sable die.  
"That's kind of you. Both of you." Sable really appreciated that. Though situation they were at, he was feeling somehow... better.  
"Why do you seek for death? Don't you love Viola?" Stella asked.  
"I do." He refused. "And that's why I have to die."  
"I don't understand."  
"I already said it was complicated. Even, if I really wanted to join your society, betray Venganza, I can't live with dragons. My body doesn't let me. I would be never accepted." Sable watched his paw covered in green scales, body of wyvern he hated so much. "And I can't live with Viola far away from any dragons. She deserves for better life. With her friends and family. I know loneliness much too well to let her suffer it. You may say that at least, I can just disappear and live on far away from her." Stella nodded. That idea had just appeared in her head. "It wouldn't work out. I know Viola too well. Even if you laid her about my death, she would discover truth sooner or later and search for me, completely ruining her life. And even if she found me, we would be back at the situation I've just explained."  
"So there's no other solution?" Stella asked.  
"Death is solution to all our problems, isn't it? Maybe not the best one, but definitely trustworthy. " Sable noticed with something like amusement.  
"Why can't you become dragon?"  
"I asked Primero about that. He said that after so long pause, resuming transformation would end up with death." Sable explained.  
"What, if I told you that he was wrong?" The lightning guardian smiled. Sable watched her surprised.  
"You... really mean that?" He couldn't believe her words.  
"Douten explained guardians, how his elixirs work. He said that after even years of pause, there's no problem about resuming transformation from stage as advanced as yours." Cuarto was completely aghast, it was hard for him to find words to say anything.  
"Are those his words?" He asked after several seconds, feeling his heart rate spiking.  
"Word for word."Stella replied and smiled.  
"So Primero...he laid me." Cuarto whispered with disbelief.  
"Maybe Douten has concealed that?" The dragoness suggested.  
"No. Douten is Primero. He lied me to keep me in Venganza. He sacrificed my own happiness for that vengeance." He watched at his paws, shaking from excitement. "But..." He giggled silently. "...truth was revealed. I can become dragon." He smiled joyfully watching the guardian.  
"So, neither of us has to die." Stella said. Sable walked to her.  
"Indeed. Thank you." He hugged her friendly, trying to stop tears. "Thank you."  
"All the pleasure is mine." The lightning dragoness replied, as she poked his back friendly. "So, what's your plan now?" She asked curiously. Sable interrupted the hug after several seconds.  
"I'll get Primero's elixirs and complete the transformation. And later, with Viola... Who knows?" He shrugged, while saying last words. "By the way, I have something for you." Stella watched him surprised.  
"What is it?" She asked curiously. Sable took from small bag at his side little bottle. Then, he wounded paw with talon and let blood drip, until it filled bottle.  
"Atroz was bragging about his poison, which he was going to use on his needles. It's this same as wyvern's and I'm immune for it. My blood is good antipoison against it. And since it's similar to dragon's, there's no problem for you about using it. Putting it at the wound is the fastest way." The bottle was already full of blood. "Here you are. I'd never forgive myself if that sick mind made it alive and killed your mate." The guardian took it from him.  
"Thank you. Are you leaving?" She asked.  
"Yeah, I should hurry. Stella, I wish we would finish our duel someday." He said. The dragoness smiled slightly in reply.  
"Mhm, I wonder who would win, if we were fighting completely fair. Without assassinations, unfair tricks, asking for death... That may be interesting." They both were watching each other. Neither of them wanted to leave.  
"Goodbye, Stella." Sable said after several moments.  
"Goodbye." The dragoness agreed sadly.  
"Why so cheerless?" Cuarto asked. "Before any of us will even notice, we'll not bid goodbye, but say good morning." Again, fell a silence. "So, see you." Sable waved for farewell. He turned around and was about to fly away.  
"Sable?" Stella called him. He turned around and gave her asking sight. "Your swords." Sable burst out with silent laugh and shook his head in disbelief.  
"Oh... right. I'd forget about them." He took them from ground and hid to scabbards. Swords, for which he had been ready to die, now he almost left behind.  
"Sable, speaking of those fates... Dragons don't believe in such a thing, so you should reconsider that." Stella noticed, half-jokingly.  
"No fates, you say...No guiverno dogma..." Sable remained silent for several seconds. "After this, what had just happened, I think I can believe that." He agreed and grinned cheerfully in such way that Stella couldn't help giggling silently. "Thank you for everything once again." He bowed characteristically. "Now you better hurry up. Infernus may be in trouble." Stella nodded.  
"I will. See you, Sable."  
"See you." The wyvern jumped in the air and disappeared in dense forest. Stella watched after him for several seconds and started flying in opposite direction. She had to find Infernus.

Stella saw her mate just several minutes after he finished his battle. Guardian, seeing battlefield landed quickly right next to Infernus.  
"Infernus?" She asked. There was no reaction. "Infernus!" He didn't reply. Stella was on verge of panic, but she quickly calmed down. She looked around his body and saw several serious, but not endangering his body wounds. "It's poison." She whispered. Stella opened small bottle, she was holding for all that time. She started pouring it slowly at injuries, as Sable told her to do. When antipoison was in fire breather's body, all she could do was waiting. The dragoness glared at her mate, hoping that he'd be fine. But the longest minutes of her life were passing, and nothing happened. "You can't die, you can't die..." She was repeating, trying to stop tears. Then, not really thinking about what she was doing, she kissed him. Tears dripped slowly from her eyes. Small sparkle jumped between her and Infernus's lips. That little sparkle went through whole fire breather's body and eventually, reached his heart. And it was enough to make it beat for once more. And again. And again. Slowly the fire breather's heart started beating. Infernus took a deep breath. Stella watched him with relief. The fire breather slowly turned head and opened eyes.  
"Stella?" He asked silently.  
"Infernus! Thanks ancestors!" She hugged him strongly, but Infernus hissed painfully. "Oh, sorry."She got off him and helped him sit down.  
"I was poisoned..." Infernus said. "So how did you..." Stella showed him the bottle, still red from blood inside it.  
"Thank Sable. He gave me antipoison."  
"He helped you?" Infernus asked with surprise. She nodded.  
"Yes. It's long story, I'll tell you later." She said. The red dragon nodded.  
"What about others?"  
"I think, they're still fighting."  
"Shouldn't we help them?"  
"They'll be fine and you need to rest. I'm not leaving you alone in here." Stella noticed. The fire breather sighed deeply, but he agreed.  
"Fine." They both sat next to each other, waiting until Infernus wouldn't be able to move normally again. They were enjoying that moment. They both knew, how close to death they had just been. In the bottom of heart, Stella was thanking Sable for all he had done and wished him good luck. She couldn't know that guardians were going to need it much more.


	51. Fathership

Chapter 51. "Fathership"

Spyro heard evil Primero's laughter several seconds after Primero decided to kill his mate. He couldn't believe that it really happened. He couldn't accept, acknowledge fact that he killed Cynder. Then, from behind earth wall, he heard a voice.  
"I don't know if that's curse or blessing, Spyro, but you have damn luck today." The purple dragon raised his sight, surprised by those words. Wall of earth turned into pieces. Then he saw, what really had happened. On Cynder's bed, right next to her, there was standing Zealous. Her tailblade had pierced Douten's paw stopping it before it harmed her mother. The purple dragon gave Vixen quick glance. Though it hadn't gone according to her father's plan, she was smiling with relief. Zealous tried to jump away, but Douten caught her in the air. He placed tailblade at Cynder's throat and talons at Zealous's.  
"You know, Spyro, normally I would just kill them both, but this situation becomes so exciting! This is..." Douten started gesticulating quickly trying to find right words. "...marvelous!" He finished sentence almost shouting. "How about double bet, huh?" Douten grinned devilishly. The purple dragon hissed angrily. "Vixen, fly to the field we were talking about earlier. Tell Patro that we may need him." Primero said to his daughter.  
"Change of plans, father?" Vixen asked curiously.  
"Yeah, possibly. Go now, you should hurry up. They have to be ready." Vixen nodded and jumped away through window, from which flew Zealous.  
"Let Zealous go. It's not about her." Spyro started, just as the black dragoness disappeared.  
"She's Cynder's daughter, she was involved in this at the day of her birth. Give me some arguments, maybe I'll change my mind." Douten wanted to continue his game.  
"When Vixen was standing next to me, I could easily knock her out and blackmail you, as you do now to me. I haven't done it, so you shouldn't change rules of game too, when it goes on already." Spyro argued.  
"It's my game, I can change its rules whenever I want. And besides, how do you think, what I would do, if you caught Vixen?" Primero asked, watching him curiously.  
"Exchange?" The purple dragon guessed. "If you really call yourself her father, that's what you would do."  
"No. I'd rather kill her. If she got caught, she would stand in my way. At this point she wouldn't be useful for me anymore, so I would see no point for her to live." Primero explained. Spyro glared at him with disbelief and contempt.  
"So that's what daughter means for you?" He asked. "Is she just a tool, which you can easily get rid of, when it becomes useless?"  
"Exactly." Douten agreed. "But she isn't even my daughter, I care about her even less, than you said."  
"So why does she call you father? What's the point of that?" Spyro said that coldly. He despised that earth dragon more than before.  
"My beautiful words blinded her. She thinks that I care, love, protect her and Vengantimos. She, even so precious for her Sable... The bond between those two is such a funny story. They all are just my puppets. This cloak of lies guarantees me that I won't be betrayed." Douten was grinning devilishly enjoying moment. The purple dragon watched him carefully. He had a feeling that there was something sham in his words, as he wanted to hide the truth from him, but it most likely was just a feeling. "I don't blind myself that wyverns will win that battle. Maybe some of guardians will die, but I don't believe that any of Vengantimos will survive, maybe one or two will escape dragons. And speaking of Vixen... After this all I'll just leave her behind, so dragons could satisfy themselves with sentencing her to death. Why should I care about her anymore?" Primero asked.  
"Don't you have conscience?" The purple dragon asked.  
"I've got rid of this long time ago. It just makes everything harder. And you know, the alchemy, the science, is many times more useful than conscience." Douten smirked, amused with his wordplay. "You know that in every war, there must be made some sacrifice." He noticed.  
"War?" Spyro snorted scornfully. "Don't adulate yourself, Douten, could you?" It wasn't a question. "Don't call this little, private vengeance of yours a war, it doesn't deserve to be called so. And even if it was, the leader should care about his soldiers, protect them. And you?" Spyro gave him disgusted sight."You're monstrous."  
"This is just good business, nothing more. Tell me Spyro, what's the point of keeping alive something completely useless?" He repeated his question.  
"They... they are not things! Those are lives! They have their own souls, feelings, dreams, plans! They have their own life, you can't treat them as tools! I can't believe that you blame Tremor for stealing you title of guardian. How couldn't you acknowledge that your duplicity, callousness and vindictiveness did it?" Spyro replied.  
"Good speech, short and pithy. Filled with such emotions." The earth dragon admitted and chuckled silently. He sounded as if he was satisfied with sudden outburst of the purple dragon, as if he expected it. "But, we're not talking about me, but Cynder. I think, it's my turn for an argument now." Douten changed subject. After all, he didn't have much time.  
"So?" Spyro wanted to finish this all, his heart was filling with desperation and anger every second.  
"After Cynder was caught by Malefor at Dante's Freezer, she surprisingly easily changed sides, haven't you noticed that?" Douten asked.  
"No, she never changed sides."Spyro refused. Primero laughed silently.  
"You hit the point, Spyro. Indeed, you did. But now, there appears question. Has she been good or evil since ever?"  
"Her acts say much more than any of your words." The purple dragon said confidently.  
"Again, I agree with you, though I read all yours words otherwise, than you seem to mean them to be." Douten smiled with amusement.  
"Then tell me, why you think so? All she did, was good." Spyro noticed. Douten shook his head in disbelief.  
"She lured you to the Well of Souls, tricking into releasing Malefor. She, with such easiness, was controlled by Malefor at your first meeting with him. She allied with Liun without any doubts. Do you need more proofs?" Theearth dragon asked.  
"She was used to bring me to the Well of Souls. Cynder couldn't oppose to power of Malefor, for too long time he had influence at her, but thanks to my help, she released herself, didn't she? The only reason ,why she allied with Liun, was to protect me. That's all, what you've got?" The purple dragon asked. Douten said no word for several seconds, so Spyro used that moment of hesitation. "And also, if she was so evil, as you speak, would she decide to have family? Mate? Daughter? I know that those words mean nothing for you, but for good-hearted dragons with mind not as twisted as yours, those things are important." Douten smiled with admiration.  
"I've been underestimating you, Spyro. You not only countered my argument, you also managed to make your own and offend me at this same time. And I thought that at this moment, Cynder would be already dead..."  
"Let Zealous go. All we say is not about her."  
"I've already said, it's also about her."  
"Prove it, then." Spyro demanded. Primero laughed loudly.  
"Did anyone tell you that you have a sharp tongue?" Whole that situation was amusing him. "You know, your last arguments were so good and clever that I started considering, if some of your words have a little of truth in them. I'm not sure about it, but there exists minimal possibility." Douten admitted. The purple dragon couldn't know Primero was only playing with him.  
"So will you release Zealous?" Spyro asked.  
"Not so fast. What about compromise?" The earth dragon smiled devilishly.  
"What do you mean?" Spyro asked, his heart rate spiked, he knew something big was coming.  
"I let you make a choice, who of them I will release." Douten offered.  
"Just like that? Is there no snag?" Spyro asked surprised. He couldn't believe, it could be that simple.  
"There is one." Douten grinned. "One of them will be returned to you and second will die. I will leave together with Vengantimos, finishing this battle. You'll buy yourself safety of yours and friends. But remember, someday, we shall return." Douten grinned showing his teeth, as he understood that the purple dragon had no idea, what to do. "So, Spyro, who of them you love more? Your mate, or your little daughter, huh?" Spyro looked at both dragonesses, aghast in surprise. "Hurry up, Spyro, we don't have whole eternity." Douten said with completely carefree voice. "Choose."  
"You're sick, Douten. You can't make me choose between them!" Spyro tried to oppose.  
"I can." The earth dragon said firmly. "You will choose or I'll kill them both." Spyro glared at his scared daughter and started considering. Thousands of thoughts were appearing in his head, but he couldn't find answer for one question. What to do?  
"You better hurry up, Spyro." Douten started counting down. "Ten, nine..." Seconds were passing inexorably and Spyro couldn't come up with any solution. Mate or daughter, how could he choose between them? He loved them both from the bottom of his heart. He simply couldn't choose. And yet, he had to. He could attack Douten, of course. But he was prepared for that, Spyro wouldn't be able to save any of them. Darn it! If only time wasn't passing so quickly...  
"Three, two, one..."  
"I made a choice." Spyro lied to buy himself priceless seconds. Douten smiled, glad to hear that.  
"Which is?" He asked. Then, in Spyro's head appeared idea. He found solution. Only one, which he found as the right one. It was so simple that Spyro couldn't believe he didn't think about that at the very beginning.  
"Let them both live." He said. The earth dragon watched him surprised. "And instead, kill me." Primero laughed silently, shaking his head in disbelief. "Don't laugh, I'm serious." Spyro said confidently. Zealous watched her father fearfully. Spyro smiled to her. "Don't worry, everything will be alright." He promised.  
"Love. It's beautiful and yet disastrous bond." Douten enjoyed every word. "It gives and takes life. And its greatest act is sacrifice." Douten watched Spyro with admiration. He respected him for this choice. "So, are you sure, you're ready to do it?" He asked with note of disappointment.  
"At first, release them." Spyro said.  
"You know that I can't release them both. I won't have any warranty that you'll let me kill you."  
"How can I believe you then?" The purple dragon noticed.  
"Because yours and no one else's death will work just perfectly for me. At first, I'll kill you. In the next attack, Zealous, at the end, when Cynder will be crushed and hopeless, I'll finish her." Douten was speaking about his new plan with such excitement that Spyro knew, he was going to fill that plan. That was going to buy both Cynder and Zealous safety, at least for some time.  
"I believe you." Spyro decided. He stepped closer to Primero. "Zealous, close your eyes, please."  
"Dad..." Young purple dragoness tried to refuse.  
"Just close your eyes." Spyro pleased. "Everything will be fine." He smiled warmly to her. Zealous watched her father with disbelief. Simple tear left her eye, as she understood that her father was going to die. Then, she closed her eyes.  
"Are you sure, you want to do it?" Douten asked Spyro. "Are you sure that the powerful and mighty purple dragon wants to die just to buy several months of life more for that cursed dragoness? Does he know, what will it bring to all dragons? Loss of someone like him? Especially, when he's not even the main target?" Primero watched him with disbelief.  
"He does." Spyro agreed. "Just do it." He ordered. If his life was the price for their safety, there was no problem about it. Douten sighed deeply. His tailblade slipped away from Cynder's throat leaving no scratch on it. He aimed at Spyro's throat. Then, he straightened his paw. He wanted it to pierce through Spyro's throat, but it stopped about ten centimeters from it. Douten's eyes grew wide, as he watched black paw holding his arm. Neither Spyro believed that it really happened. They both looked down at the black dragoness. She was awake, already charging wind at Primero. Spyro smiled triumphantly and Douten cursed silently. Cynder released wind, but the earth dragon jerked his head, avoiding it for centimeters. Then, holding Zealous, Douten jumped away from house through the window behind him.  
"I'll be waiting for you a mile at the northwest! If there comes with you any other dragon, I'll kill your little Zealous right away!" After those words, Douten flew away.

Four youngsters were right next to Cynder's house, when they saw Douten flying away with Zealous. He was flying low above ground and quickly disappeared in dense forest.  
"What the..." Torch watched that happening, dumbstruck.  
"No idea, but Zealous is in trouble." Zap said. He was still glaring at the place, where several seconds earlier was the purple dragoness.  
"We have to help them!" Sierra and Tundra said at this same moment. They followed Douten, before any of boys reacted. Torch and Zap just followed them with their sights. They weren't in such hurry as girls. Torch sighed deeply, watching them.  
"Do you think that it's good idea?"The fire breather asked.  
"No. But we won't lose to girls." Zap noticed. None of them liked that idea, but what could they do about that? Both youngsters glared at each other, shrugged and flew to forest. At that moment, they were noticed by Angelo. The vice-captain sighed deeply with annoyance, when they flew inside the forest. He couldn't have seen Primero, he was already too far away.  
"Are they leaving town? Where are they going?" He slowly followed Torch and Zap, hoping that he wouldn't lose them again. If he wanted, he could literally appear next to them, but he was very curious, where they were flying.

"Spyro?" Cynder called her mate. "Douten is Primero, isn't he?"  
"He is." Spyro agreed.  
"Then why did you..."  
"Allow him to kill me?" The purple dragon guessed the ending of her sentence. "Because that was price for your and Zealous's safety." He explained.  
"I think I don't get it." Cynder watched him with asking sight.  
"We better follow Primero, I'll explain you everything while flight." Spyro suggested. His mate nodded, agreeing. As they left house, she straightened her wings slowly. She seemed to be weakened, most likely the poison still had its influence on her. "Are you alright?" The purple dragon asked.  
"It could be better. The poison still has influence, the vision blurs and head hurts terribly, but I don't have time to complain about it. Let's hurry up, we don't have much time to lose." Two dragons jumped in the air and flew to Primero.

Douten landed at the field where Vixen was already waiting for him. It was quite big, from the closest trees, there was at least one hundred meters.  
"Vixen, where are the wyverns?" He asked.  
"All around you, dad."The black dragoness said. Primero smiled. "Do you really think, we'll need them?" His daughter asked doubtfully.  
"Yes, they'll be necessary." The alchemist assured her.  
"You've been followed, dad." Vixen noticed. Douten turned around. He didn't notice anyone at first, but he knew that he could trust dragoness's senses. After moment, from trees, there appeared four hatchlings. Primero smiled, as he recognized them. Zealous felt relief seeing them, but she was also scared about them. She knew they didn't stand a chance against Primero.  
"Well, well, well." Douten said slowly. "Who do we have here?" Douten smiled devilishly. His sight stopped for longer at Tremor's daughters. In his mind appeared some idea. Vixen read through his plans.  
"Father, they're just hatchlings." Vixen said silently, worried about those little dragons. Little, lost hatchlings… She knew this feeling. "There's no need to kill them..."  
"Silence." He replied even quitter, so only black dragoness heard that.  
"Hey, you! Give Zealous back!" Tundra shouted. She, like all four hatchlings was mad at the earth dragon, their scales erecting in anger.  
"Or what?" Douten was watching hatchlings with pitiful smile. Those youngsters' bravery actually astounded him.  
"Or you'll regret that." Torch said angrily.  
"Wow that sounded even fearfully. If you're so self-assure, then come here and get her." Douten said mockingly. Young fire breather howled angrily and started running to Primero.  
"Wait!" Zap shouted.  
"It's a trap!" Sierra tried to stop him, but Torch didn't listen to them. He jumped to Douten. The earth dragon was about to give him deadly blow, when in front of him appeared from nowhere yellow flash, even hatchlings didn't recognize who was that. The newcomer blocked Primero's paw by hinder leg. His tail wrapped around Zealous and before anyone noticed that, the newcomer bounced from the alchemist and stood between hatchlings and Primero. This speed... Sable wasn't this fast and he was the lightning user. The newcomer, a yellow dragon, was holding Zealous in tail and Torch in his arms. Vixen smiled with relief.  
"Not bad timing. What's your name?" She asked curiously.  
"Angelo, the vice-captain of guards of Leafen." The lightning dragon introduced himself. Douten watched his daughter with anger.  
"You knew, he was going to come." He blamed her. She couldn't overlook someone moving so quickly. Vixen hung her head shamefully.  
"They're just hatchlings, there's no need to kill them." She muttered silently, watching her paws with remorse. Primero hissed angrily. It was her first so serious disobedience to him since ever. The black dragoness wished she could just melt into the ground. At that moment, there appeared Spyro and Cynder. They landed right next to Angelo and smiled, seeing that Zealous was safe.  
"Angelo? What are you doing here?" The purple dragon asked with surprise. The vice-captain blushed with embarrassment and scratched his neck, while trying to make up some excuse.  
"There's no need to worry. Everything's under control." Angelo assured them.  
"Yes, you've just took a walk with youngsters when you met Douten trying to kill you, haven't you?" Sparx, who just flew at the field too, asked with note of irony. Spyro sighed deeply. He glared at Douten.  
"So, you have no advantage anymore."  
"I don't need any advantage to kill you." Primero replied.  
"Cynder, Sparx, stand back, I'll fight him." Spyro said and made step forward, when Cynder stood next to him.  
"Forget it. He wants me, not you, I'm not going to stand back and watch you fighting. Not after I've almost lost you in fight like this." The black dragoness disagreed. Spyro knew that she meant his encounter with Liun.  
"Come on, you both." Primero said. There was no need to repeat that. Spyro released stream of fire. Vixen stood in front of her father and beaten wings stopping it. She heard sound of electricity. Meanwhile, Douten drank small elixir and started focusing. This potion was necessary for him to do next move.  
"Dad." Young black dragoness called her father with worries. From the fire appeared stream of lightning, which was absorbed by Douten's wall of earth. Next to Vixen appeared Cynder. She slashed with paws, but Vixen blocked the blow. The black dragonesses were forcing, younger was slowly losing. "Dad." She said impatiently. She couldn't keep them both busy for long.  
"Not yet." Primero replied. At that moment, Spyro flew above the dragonesses to Douten. Vixen jumped away from her opponent and slashed, aiming at purple dragon's underbelly.  
"Spyro!" Cynder warned him. He turned his head and leaned back avoiding small tailblade. He shot to Vixen lightning, but she flew next to it and pushed him to his mate with strong wind. Sparx, following Spyro for whole that time, was thrown away with powerful blow back to the youngsters. Cynder slowed him down with his own wind, so he didn't crush. Meanwhile, Vixen landed between two dragons and Douten. "Dad!" She screamed.  
"I'm ready." Douten hit strongly the ground. All around four fighters started creating pillars of earth. Before anyone reacted, they were closed in cave high for about twenty meters and length and width of fifty. Light was getting there through small holes at its top, so there was only dusk. Unfortunately for Spyro and Cynder, those were too small to fly through them. Both Spyro and Cynder watched the dome above them with disbelief. Could one dragon do such a thing?  
"Now, I have advantage. And I swear, neither of you will leave this place alive." Douten smiled devilishly.  
"Are you sure, you want to verify this theory?" Cynder asked.  
"I already know it, Cynder. This is your end." Primero hissed. Spyro and Cynder looked at each other.  
"I'll take Douten." The black dragoness said. Her mate sighed deeply. He really didn't want to fight Vixen, but he knew that Primero was Cynder's opponent. And besides, someday he had to face Vixen.  
"Alright." He agreed. Two mates made offensive poses. Douten smiled, seeing them ready for fight.  
"Come on, Spyro, Cynder. Prepare to die."

Angelo was watching a cave, which appeared in front of him several seconds earlier. He tried to make hole in it, but his lightning didn't work at all.  
"Great, now he has to fight without me!" Sparx watched the wall, searching for any cracks.  
"You're speaking, as if that would change a thing." Angelo noticed with smirk at his face. "Kids, we're going back to city." Five hatchlings watched him surprised and started asking him to change his mind. "No." He interrupted them. "You already brought me troubles. What were you thinking, when you left house? You could die, if I haven't come in time!" Youngsters hung their heads sadly.  
"We're sorry." Zap said.  
"We'll tell parents that it was my idea, so you won't be in trouble." Torch suggested. Angelo smiled.  
"That's nice, but no, it's my fault. I shouldn't have expected you to stick in that house, since if I was you, I would do exactly this same." He was going to pay for those words, but he couldn't stand youngsters taking responsibility for his own mistake. "We better go, we never know what may happen, if we stay here too long."  
"Mr. Angelo, there's someone." Zap pointed trees at their left. Vice-captain's eyes grew wide. He noticed the presence in that moment as well. He couldn't believe that youngster discovered that faster than him. But thing, which really scared him, was smell. Those weren't dragons. Angelo knew, what was coming.  
"Kids, stand with your backs to cave and make sure that's no enemy is behind you!" Youngsters watched him surprised. "Now!"Angelo shouted and all five did as he said. The vice-captain stood in front of them and made defensive stance. "Kids, listen to me." He whispered. "When you see them, don't move, whatever happens. Understood?" They all nodded quickly.  
"Good." He said silently. "Come on, wyverns!" Angelo shouted. "Show yourselves!" From trees jumped two wyverns. They attacked at this same moment, but Angelo was too fast for them, he literally went through enemies, slashing killing them both with quick swings of tail before they even noticed that. The lightning user wiped blood from his tailblade at grass. From trees started walking wyverns. They surrounded him. There were tens of them, too many for only one dragon. Angelo cursed his bad luck. "Sparx, fly for help. Quickly." He pleased. The dragonfly nodded and flew away the fastest he could, all the wyverns ignored him.  
"So, aren't you going to give up, dragon?" The leader of wyverns asked.  
"I'm not." The lightning dragon refused confidently.  
"Kill him." The leader ordered. Circle started tightening, as wyverns started walking to dragon.  
"Don't move and everything will be fine." Angelo said to youngsters, while watching carefully the enclosing enemies. He really wished he believed his own words.


	52. Segunda and Tercera

Chapter 52. "Segunda and Tercera"

Tremor and Brute were standing face to face, making slow circles. They watched each other carefully, both ready for an attack.  
"I thought I've broken your arms." Tremor noticed.  
"Cuarto's healed those. When it comes to medicine, he's quite useful." Brute explained. "It's kind of annoying, isn't it?" He smiled slightly. "We met once in Warfang. You and Cynder made me run away, but you were so close to death... Second time we met, you've easily beaten me and stole Sierra. So we can assume we have tie."  
"Stole? Saving my daughter you call stealing?" Tremor hissed angrily.  
"Yes, because for me, it's nothing more." Brute and Tremor were watching carefully each other. "That's funny. Both of us really wished to meet again and here we stand, face to face. Brute, Sexto Vengantimo and Tremor, the dragon guardian of earth. And this time, no one of us can run away."  
"Actually, the only one running away was you." Tremor noticed and smirked, seeing anger at enemy's face.  
"Very funny. But this time, I've prepared for this fight. No needles, only bombs. And those bombs are special. Small range, great damage." Wyvern's equipment had changed since their last meeting. He hadn't gauntlet, but metal gloves with three carbuncles and flint for bombs at each of them. At each of sides, he had three small, leather bags with bombs and there was another one, much bigger, at his back.  
"Isn't that big thing at your back uncomfortable? I doubt, if you'll get bombs from there in the middle of fight." Tremor noticed.  
"I took it especially for you, Tremor." Brute smiled ominously. "You know, there's one thing I've been wondering about since we met last time. Why do you still fight on the ground? You love it so badly. Aren't dragons supposed to fly? And how's that possible that dragon who practically doesn't use wings, has become guardian?" He asked with note of disbelief in his voice.  
"Well, I prefer fighting on the ground since my element is earth. And earth is right here." He pointed down, so wyvern involuntarily watched the ground. Then right under his face appeared pillar of earth, which hit his jaws, before Vengantimo managed to dodge blow. Brute fell at his back. He stood up and spited away blood. "Do you get it now?" Tremor was having fun of wyvern, whose anger was about to reach critical point.  
"You haven't learnt anything from our last meeting, huh? So arrogant and cocky." He asked. "You still can't understand that you're reason of all those deaths. How about deal?" The guardian didn't reply, but wyvern didn't expect answer. "I'll disappear, you'll be able to save Candice from Icey. In return, I'll take Sierra. Right after that, I'll disappear from your life. How about that?"  
"Do you pretend, or you're really that stupid?" Tremor asked. Brute sighed deeply.  
"You know that you've just sentenced your mate to death, don't you?" Sexto asked.  
"She'll be fine." The earth guardian said.  
"Are you so sure?"  
"I know it." Tremor finished their conversation firmly. Brute laughed silently. He couldn't believe that Tremor was that reckless to let his mate duel with Icey. The wyvern jumped in the air and opened two first bags. He took from each one bomb and threw them to the dragon. Tremor jumped above them and started flying to his enemy. It was time to finish this.

Espejo walked slowly, making circles around two fire breathers. The dragons kept eyes on him. Vengantimo smiled slightly. "It's not really fair, don't you think? Two versus one is definitely not honorable."  
"You can always flee." Flameus suggested. The wyvern just laughed and shook his head with disbelief.  
"I feel offended with such a suggestion. I'd never become tránsfuga. To come back with shield or on it, that's my dogma. So, shall we see, who's victor?"  
"What's your rank?" Ember asked.  
"Right, where are my manners? My name is Espejo, hijo del Dotado." Espejo bowed gently, but respectfully before the dragons, as he presented his and his father's name.  
"You don't introduce yourself as Vengantimo?" Ember asked, surprised.  
"I not really feel like Vengantimo. What can I say, this body, my powers and rank, those are just tools for my personal revenge. I'm glad that I face your two. It's the previous dragon guardian of fire who because of I've lost my family. You have no idea how angry I was when Primero said that Icey would face you."  
"And what is your rank?" Flame repeated his mate's question.  
"Does it really matter?" Vengantimo shrugged. "My rank could be fifth or eleventh or maybe even lower and if I had a power perfect against a fire, I could be at Primero's strength to you. On the other side, I may be Tercera and if my power was terrible against fire, I would be a weakling facing you. There are also close-distance attack skills, but they don't determine it as much."  
"And is your power good against fire?" Ember asked straightly. Espejo giggled.  
"I shouldn't give you such an information, but I already know the powers of yours and you have no idea about mine, right?" The wyvern sighed deeply. "Two fire breather's is pretty good combination to me, not very hard. It's easier to fight when you both have this same element. But no worries, it won't be easy either." The wyvern stopped and made a fighting stance. "Let's begin, you really don't want Icey to finish Candice and help me." He suggested. "So, ladies first?" He asked, turning at Ember. Both dragons ran to him, but wyvern jumped rapidly, again surprising enemies with his speed. He poured sand in fire breather's eyes. Flame closed them for a second and the wyvern bounced from the ground to stand next to him and his tail wrapped around his arm. In this same moment he hit Ember with whole his momentum throwing her back. He pulled his tail turning over the fire guardian and landing with Ember on the ground several meters farther. He quickly stood behind her so Ember was between him and Flame. The pink dragoness turned around, blocked Vengantimo's fast blows and they started forcing. Flame stood up quickly and ran to them when Espejo slipped away from pink dragoness's grasp smoothly and passed by her. Ember's eyes grew wide, as she saw his tailblade enclosing to her chest. She caught it with both paws when it already went through the scales and touched her rib. Blood flowed down the wound, Ember hissed angrily, keeping balance on her hinder legs and hanging on Vengantimo's tail. Flame attacked Espejo who leaned beneath his first blow and blocked another. He hit fire breather's jaws with forehead and made a step farther, his tailblade went a centimeter deeper into dragoness's body. Ember squeaked painfully.  
"Ember!" Flame shouted. He attacked Espejo, but wyvern shielded himself again.  
"You'd better don't burn my tail, I behave very uncontrollably when hurt." Vengantimo warned. He tried to slash Flame's throat, but the guardian caught his left paw and barely managed to grasp another, just in time to stop wyvern's talons several centimeters from his chest. Espejo grinned ominously.  
"Let's see who wins, shall we?" All three started forcing, both dragons grasping wyvern as strong as they could not to be killed, even though it seemed like this young wyvern was stronger than them. Ember gasped painfully, as wyvern's tailblade moved a little. And then, in fire guardian's mouth, there appeared tongues of fire.  
"Not scared about your mate?" Espejo noticed with disbelief.  
"Burns are lesser price than life." Ember smiled slightly, as wyvern swallowed hardly hearing that. The pink dragoness would live through that, but not him. In the moment Flame was about to incinerate him, Vengantimo pulled back dropping both fire breathers and jumped away. The fire guardian shot to him a stream of fire, but Vengantimo jumped in the air above it and landed between two dragons. They attacked him, but he was faster. Ember fell on the ground with scratched side and terribly aching head and a second later, Flame screamed painfully. He collapsed next to his mate with his left shoulder dislocated. Espejo watched the dragons.  
"Put his arm back on the place and stand up." He waited for them several meters farther, watching the medic taking care of her mate's arm.

Candice and Icey were staying next to each other, neither of them hurried with attack.  
"So, will you stand here like that for eternity?" Icey asked. "I'm waiting."  
"Maybe your clones should attack first?" The ice guardian didn't like the idea of attacking three enemies at once. Definitely not three Segundas. Two clones started running to her. First one appeared at her right, she blocked easily his blow and shot an ice spike right in his face. Second one attacked from left. Candice jumped away from his slash and swung her tailblade piercing his chest. Candice rolled away from several ice spikes, which stuck in the ground, where she had been a second earlier. She saw another ice imitation gliding to her, so she jumped to it and started forcing with it in the air. Then, she heard Icey.  
"You lose, Candice." Vengantimo straightened his paw, aiming at her. "Now, helarse." From end of his talon there appeared an spike of ice, which started quickly elongating right to her. Candice jumped away from the pillar of ice, which pierced imitation. Then, she saw two another spreads. She jerked her head barely avoiding them, one scratched her cheek. She landed, Icey hit ground with paws strongly. In front of dragoness, there appeared tens of spikes pointed right at her, but she stopped them with wall of ice. Candice decided to remain behind that wall for a moment to take a breath and wonder about the strategy. The wyvern waited for her. After several seconds, Candice appeared from behind wall and started flying to him low above the ground. She tried to slash, but Icey jumped at side. The guardian tried to attack him,but two clones caught her arms stopping her. Icey, with his breath, froze everything in front of him, including arms of his imitations. He glared at frozen dragoness, who was completely frozen, expect her head.  
"Such a disappointment. I expected something more from you." He said, as he was about to slit her throat. Then, in his right shoulder appeared ice spike. He hissed painfully and watched blood dripping from wound. He turned to see Candice staying next to the ice wall, which she had created earlier.  
"Yes, I thought you knew that I use imitations too." The guardian smiled, she knew it was good beginning of fight. If she hadn't missed, the wyvern would be already dead. Icey glared at his blood.  
"Not bad, but it's the very last wound you gave me. From now, all, what will you do is running away from me." From ground beneath guardian started appearing ice spikes, she jumped in the air just in time. It was best for her not to land, since Icey had obvious advantage on the ground. The wyvern flew to her and slashed aiming at her face, Candice leaned her head back. From Vengantimo's talon appeared small icy blade, but Candice broke it and shot the ice spike to him. It flew right next to Icey. Then, some ice imitation flew right at her. That surprised her, but before Vengantimo attacked, she pushed it at Icey, distracting him. The guardian flew above him and slashed quickly his back with tailblade. She wanted to fly farther, to slash through whole wyvern's back, when something held her tailblade. She saw that her tail was stuck in ice covering Icey's back.  
"What the..." She whispered, dumbstruck.  
"It's over." Two ice spikes appeared from his back. Candice rolled away releasing tailblade from ice and avoiding deadly attack for only centimeters. She flew away from him, as quickly, as she could.  
"My helarse is interesting skill, isn't it?" Icey smiled watching guardian. He could see in her eyes desperate tries of creating any plan. "I can cover with ice every part of my body and when I touch ground, I can make it appear also even under your feet. Isn't that perfect? Am I not the most powerful ice user ever seen?" Icey didn't tell it her to make her fight easier. His only point was to make her feel real, overwhelming and paralyzing fear.  
"I hate it about you, wyverns. You say that dragons are proud, but your arrogance blinds you." Candice noticed.  
"I am not arrogant." Icey said coldly. "I just know that with this power of mine, I can't lose to just the ice guardian of dragons."  
"Isn't this arrogance? You must have disadvantage." Candice noticed. She had no idea, how to fight enemy like that, it was first situation, when she was completely out of ideas, what to do.  
"Yes, I have one." The wyvern admitted. "In effect of all mutations, which I went through, my life span was rapidly decreased. I have twenty, maximum thirty years of life left." Candice watched him surprised. She didn't expect much, but just slightest tip, how to kill him. And without it, she saw no chance to win. All that this knowledge gave her was that she knew why his scales looked so old. "You know, what's the funniest thing?" He interrupted her intensive thoughts. "That I am just Tercera." He showed Candice his right paw. At his little finger, there was a silver ring with three pearls. "And the Segunda is... Espejo."  
"You've told Flame and Ember that you're Segunda, the most powerful element-using wyvern." Guardian was mad that she was lied like that.  
"They called me Segunda, I didn't use this word, only suggested it gently." Icey smiled slightly. "I told them truth, but they were the ones to call me Segunda. And Espejo... He doesn't use element. His talent is completely different." Tercera explained.

Flame tried to slash Espejo with both paws. He was sure, this time he would get him. But wyvern appeared at his side, which he hit with horn, meanwhile blocking Ember's blow with his tailblade. The fire guardian swung his tail at the enemy who leaned down and kicked Ember in face at this same moment. Before Flame managed to make move, Segunda caught his tail and threw him to trying to keep balance pink dragoness. Meanwhile, he tried to slash guardian, but Flame protected himself just in time. Espejo jumped away and smiled, watching his laying enemies.  
"Get up, dragons. We haven't finished yet." He made offensive pose, ready to attack. Flame and Ember stood up. They both were already breathing hardly. And wyvern didn't show even slightest signs of exhaust. Neither of dragons could even scratch him. He was too fast. They could see his movements, they were easy to read, but Flame and Ember were simply too slow to do a thing.  
"Kind of annoying, isn't it?" Espejo asked. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is slow. Speed of your eyes and minds don't give you a thing, if your bodies can't catch up with them." Vengantimo grinned, since he really enjoyed that battle. "Are you ready?" The wyvern flew to them.

"He's playing with them." Candice stated.  
"No. Well, maybe a little. He must be enjoying it." Icey refused. "It may look otherwise, but he's really trying to kill them. He hates to fight for too long, but they shield each other so well that he can't find opportunity to kill. And he doesn't attack, when enemy is lying on the ground. It's...unfair, as for him." Icey's voice was cold like always, deprived of any emotions. "But soon, they'll make a serious mistake." Icey was absolutely sure about that. It was just matter of time. "You see, Espejo has really interesting ability. He is specialized to fight against dragons and their elements." Tercera started explaining. "At the moment, they release fire, they're dead." Candice cursed in her mind, she knew, they would do it sooner or later. "I think it's now." The wyvern said. The ice guardian watched at Flame and Ember.

The fire guardian and his mate were staying at two sides of Espejo. The wyvern caught them quickly with corners of his eyes. He was patiently waiting for them to attack. Flame closed eyes for a second, when Ember shot blinding fireballs. Espejo couldn't see a thing, so he jumped away in air. He blinked several times and, when he regained vision, he saw two streams of fire right in front of him. He straightened paws, as if he wanted to stop them like that. In the moment when first flames touched him, his eyes glowed with white, weak light for a fraction of second. Then he disappeared in streams of fire. Candice smiled, seeing dark cloud, which fell on the ground. Ember and Flame looked each other and smiled with relief.

"They've got him." Candice smiled to herself. "You were wrong, nothing happened, Ic..." She turned, to see Tercera's sinister grin. Espejo was still alive! The dragoness turned again at place, where was laying Espejo. She saw small, weak red glow appearing from cloud of smoke. It was bad. Very bad.  
"Flame, Ember! Watch out!" She screamed, trying to warn them. Icey watched whole happening with slight smile. Everything was going according to his plan. Both fire breathers glared at the smoke, which disappeared after one beat of wyvern's wings. They saw Espejo with arms and chest covered in burns. At each his paw, there was one colorless topaz. In front of gems were two small balls of fire, kept by white magical energy. "Venganza." Espejo smiled and whispered. Two streams of fire, even faster and stronger than the ones pointed at him, were released to dragons. Flame and Ember jumped in the air, but pink dragoness's foot was stuck in large root, protruding from ground. Flame couldn't do a thing, he was too far he saw Candice, who pushed Ember away, but let fire cover her. Ember watched Candice with worries, but she saw another one in the air, exactly at this same place she was earlier. She understood that the one who saved her was just an imitation. Then, the pink dragoness screamed.  
"Candice! Behind you!" The ice guardian turned around. Far too slow. Icey placed his paw on right side of her chest. Candice knew that she lost. Icey's head appeared right next to her. He wasn't watching her, just looked forward, like the guardian did. His sight was cold, triumphant, her horrified. Her eyes grew wide, heart skipped a beat, realizing the situation. Across wyvern's lips, there danced slight smile. "Helarse, Candice." He whispered. The dragoness realized that it was how sounded her death.

Brute landed on the ground and smiled. Tremor was about to attack, but wyvern pointed place behind the earth guardian.  
"You'd better see that." He suggested. Tremor turned slowly, expecting trap. Then, he saw Candice. About twenty meters above the ground, held by Icey. Her chest was pierced by thin, long for several meters, red from blood ice spike. The earth guardian was aghast in fear about her. "Candy!" He screamed. The ice guardian slowly turned her head at him and looked through him with blind, unseeing eyes. Tremor started running to her. Then, in front of him, there appeared small bomb. The dragon shielded his face, but explosion threw him right behind Brute. The green dragon stood up quickly. The wyvern was standing between him and his mate.  
"Out of my way." Tremor desperately wanted to get to her. His voice was filled with pure hatred.  
"Make me." Brute smiled and made defensive pose.  
"I have no time for this." Eyes of dragon started glowing with green energy, all his scales erected in anger. "Out of my way, Brute." He repeated slowly.  
"So finally, I'll see Gaia, who I heard about so much from Mar, huh?" Brute took from bag single bomb. "Bring it on." He said with excitement.

"You lost, Candice." Icey caught her throat and started choking her. From his shoulders appeared two ice spikes, which broke both her wings. He crushed her bones in such way that she'd never more in her short life be able to fly. Candice closed eyes in pain. "You're so lordly, so exalted." Vengantimo said scornfully. "How do you feel now? When your wings are stripped away." He glared at dragoness, who tried to take a breath. "Fall, dragon scum." He dove with her right to the ground and dropped her, making her crush with great speed and disappear in the cloud of dust. He landed next to her slowly, absolutely sure that she was already dead. Then, ice dragoness slowly stood up. Icey watched her with disbelief. Then he saw that at last second, she had created something like chute, which made her fall at her back, instead of head. "Bravo, you saved yourself." The wyvern said coldly, as he stood before dragoness. "I thought that only your mate is such stubborn idiot that he fights further no mater what happens. Even, if there's no chance to win." Icey jumped back, as the guardian shot to him an ice spike. Or rather, its pathetic substitution.  
"Don't you dare speaking of him like that." Candice slowly stood up, though she barely remained still.  
"Aren't you going to give up?" The wyvern asked, surprised.  
"If Tremor never did so, why should I?" The ice guardian noticed. She didn't want to lose to him and definitely not to die. Vengantimo sighed deeply.  
"Let's finish this." Icey couldn't believe that she still hoped, she could win. Or even survive. He could not really believe that with such a blow taken, she still could stand. He expected her to only crawl in the puddle of her blood, waiting for death. "I'll show you that those, who fight further, end up only dying." He started running to Candice. She made something alike block and hoped that Tremor would come in time. Flame and Ember had enough problems with just Segunda. She knew that only her mate could help her now.

Brute was forcing with Gaia, who didn't let him make any move. The wyvern hissed angrily. "Out of my way, you bitch!" He shouted. The earth dragoness grinned insolently.  
"Make me." She replied. Sexto gave her hateful sight and cursed silently. Tremor smiled hearing that and ran at top of hill. There, he saw Candice. All her body was in block of ice, only her head was free. The ice dragoness smiled slightly, seeing her mate.  
"Tremor!" She felt hope filling her heart.  
"Here I am." He smirked to her. Candice was in such bad state that in his eyes, there appeared tears."Drop her. Now." The earth guardian demanded, as he watched Vengantimo hatefully.  
"She's already dead." Tercera watched the ice dragoness. "Don't you understand that?"  
"As long, as she's breathing, I'll fight for her." Tremor replied.  
"Give up, Tremor. It's ridiculous." Icey watched him with annoyance. "Because of words like those, you're just a weakling. Just spare yourself another shame." He pleased.  
"Drop her. None cause is lost, as long as someone fights for it. And I will not give up." The earth guardian said. Candice smiled hearing that words. That was, what she loved him for. Tremor grinned to her.  
"Nonsense." Icey stated. "Come on, dragon." Tremor attacked. He jumped to Icey and slashed with paw, but wyvern easily blocked blow and pushed dragon away. The guardian jumped away avoiding ice spikes appearing from the ground. He crushed an ice spread with earth, when Icey appeared right next to him. The wyvern hit strongly Tremor with tail throwing him away at hillside. He fell on it and started rolling down the hill. The earth dragon felt that it was covered in slippery ice all over, so he tried to stop with talons. He started slowing down, when from earth appeared ice pillar, which threw his paw in the air and another one, which made dragon roll down even faster. The earth guardian stopped at the foot of hill. He cursed silently, standing up. Then, he heard voice from above.  
"Tremor, farewell your lady." Icey went to Candice. The earth dragon jumped in the air, begging in his mind that he'd make it in time. Then, the ice user released dragoness from block of ice and grasp her throat strongly. Candice squeaked in pain. Vngantimo threw her straightly into the air and jumped after her. That was, when Tremor saw him. He couldn't do anything, he was too far. If only he could...  
"Stop it!" He shouted desperately. Icey smiled.  
"Too late." Vengantimo whispered coldly. That was the moment he lived for. He spun and slashed Candice's throat deeply. Three trickles of blood from his talons created red smooth lines in the air. This time, it was deadly blow. Icey finished spin, kicking away the ice dragoness to Tremor. The earth guardian caught her. He slowly landed at foot of hill, paralyzed by shock and disbelief. He watched, but couldn't believe. He could touch her, but couldn't accept truth.  
"Candy..." He whispered. Tears started falling from his eyes. At first, there were thousands of thoughts. Later,only one remained, stabbing his heart like sword. "She's dead. She's dead... She's dead!" The earth guardian wanted to scream, but his throat seemed so dry that no voice could leave his mouth. He felt complete pointlessness. In one second, everything had lost its value. He was mad at himself. Again, he couldn't protect someone close to him. His paw was shaking in anger. "How could have this happened? How many more will die, before I become strong enough to protect them?" He asked himself. Tremor gently placed Candice on the ground and closed her eyelids. If not blood covering dragoness, if not all those wounds, with her slight smile, she would look as if she was sleeping. He smiled sadly through tears, thinking about that. Gaia, who had forced Brute to pull back a little, only stood silent behind her brother and hung her head sadly.  
Icey was watching the earth dragon with derisive smile. The wyvern sat on the ground with his back to Tremor and started cleaning his talons from dirt and blood, as if nothing had happened. "One down." He whispered, still smiling. He closed eyes and started relaxing. At first he considered helping Espejo, but he knew Segunda hated anyone to interrupt his fight, even by helping. Icey was done with his guardian, the rest he left to others.


	53. Winds

Chapter 53. "Winds"

Douten stood before Cynder, watching her carefully. Suddenly, he shot an earth bullet. The dragoness stood aside avoiding it easily. She spat with poison, but Douten created before himself an earth wall. Then, the black dragoness disappeared in shadows to materialize behind Douten. Primero dashed away from her, creating several earth spikes in that very moment. He stood in safe distance from her. Well, relatively safe; each of them could attack each other.  
"Douten, you don't want to do this." Cynder said. "It's still not too late."  
"Don't tell me what I want! You've ruined whole my life! It's only your fault of all the misfortune in my life! My parents' demise, loss of chance of getting the title of guardian… It's all because of you! And what I want is to take my revenge! You and I are standing right here, right now, so close for me to achieve my point!" Douten shouted at her. He didn't even consider giving up in that moment.  
"So you want this?" Cynder looked around. "You wanted Flush's death, you intend to kill the guardians and risk your daughter's life only for your personal satisfaction?" As saying that, the black dragoness recalled Spyro telling her that Douten didn't care about Vixen at all. She expected the earth dragon to laugh in her face hearing Vixen argument. But he didn't.  
"Leave Vixen alone. I don't involve her. She follows me only because she wants." In Douten's eyes, there glowed anger. Cynder watched him a little surprised, not sure what to think about it. Was it honest anger or just some game of his?  
"No, Douten. You do involve her only by stepping this path. And this is your last chance to stop it." The black dragoness offered. Primero grinned ominously. He had to admit that this dragoness kept surprising him at that evening. He had to be careful about her. She had already scared him in the moment when she woke up from her slumber. He had panicked then, that's the only reason he had lost a chance to kill Zealous in that very moment. That couldn't repeat. He couldn't afford to let her surprise him anymore.  
"It may be. But I've never considered turning from my way and I will not do it either today." Primero declared, not even wondering, if should he agree.

Douten and Cynder jumped to each other and disappeared in darkness of cave. There could be heard angry hisses and noise of tailblades crossing. Spyro and Vixen stood face to face. They were slowly making circles. The purple dragon didn't hurry with attacking her at all, he didn't want to fight her from bottom of his heart.  
"Just like old times, huh, Spyro?" Vixen said, grinning in sinister way. Spyro remembered those words. Memories returned all at once. He could swear that he was again in Well of Souls, in time of Eternal Night, as if around him, there was crowd of apes, impatiently howling, waiting for their battle. He couldn't get rid of this feeling that this all was just great déjà vu. It would be funny... if only it wasn't so sad.  
"I'm not going to fight you." The purple dragon said. Vixen smiled sadly, she would prefer to say this same. But she had orders, which she was going to obey.  
"We went through this conversation already. That's the point, where you have to fight, to choose the lesser of two evils." Vixen was ready to attack every moment, but she was really curious, how would that conversation finish.  
"Killing you or dying? Is that, what you mean?" Spyro guessed, begging in his mind that Vixen would refuse. The black dragoness bobbed her head once confirming. "I'm not going to kill you."  
"Neither you want to die." The black dragoness hit a point, to Spyro's sorrow. "Last time, there was no need to, but now, you have to make a choice. Though neither of them you find right, lesser evil, compared to the bigger one is good." She noticed, trying to persuade him to attack. "Let's just finish this."  
"Evil remains evil, whatever happens. I don't want to choose between them. I won't do that." Spyro replied. He asked her with sight to stop, not to fight.  
"And now, we reached the point, where you have to abandon your good-hearted nature. When your wishes don't matter. Make this little sacrifice for me. You have no idea how many dreams I sacrificed to stand here, for my father to be happy." Vixen tried to convince him. "Come on, Spyro. Fight me."  
"No." He refused. "I can't."  
"Why? You have fought Cynder. You've fought me last time. What stops you now?" She asked. The young dragoness also hated to fight, but she knew that there was no other solution.  
"Because in this situation, one of us will have to die. I won't let it happen." Spyro refused. Vixen sighed deeply.  
"Neither I wish so." She watched deeply into her eyes. "But for my father, I've abandoned my dreams. Even, if you refuse fighting, I'll just kill you." She stopped and made offensive position. "Sorry, Spyro." Vixen had to do it. To fill her plan, she had to fight him. It was her duty towards… towards Him. Before Spyro did the slightest move, Vixen attacked. She slashed with paw, next stabbed with tailblade, but the purple dragon blocked both blows with paws. The dragoness jumped above him and tried to slash his back, but Spyro countered it with tailblade. She was quick, even faster than last time they fought. Vixen landed behind him and with wings created wave of wind. Spyro lost his balance and was pushed away by stream of cold air. He rolled away, when in the place where he had been a second earlier, there appeared Vixen's tailblade. She beaten wings again, but the purple dragon shielded himself with earth wall. The dragoness jumped on it and dove from above to him. Seeing that he was charging electricity, she flew away and avoided lightning. The black dragoness landed about ten meters from Spyro. Then between them, there flew Douten, avoiding for centimeters streams of green poison. Cynder was right behind him, she and Primero disappeared in darkness of cave again. Spyro shot to Vixen small earth bullet. She pushed it away with blow of wings. Young dragoness jumped to Spyro and slashed with her paws, but he caught both of them. They were staying like that for several seconds and forcing, Vixen was obviously losing to much older and stronger Spyro. From the lack of better ideas, she hit him with her head and Spyro did this same. As their heads crushed, there could be heard loud noise. Vixen swung her paws rapidly releasing herself and jumped away from the purple dragon just to fall on the ground, curl up in pain and hold her head with both paws and hissing painfully. Seeing that, Spyro watched her pitifully and smiled slightly.  
"Are you alright?" He asked with amused voice.  
"I still can fight." Vixen assured him, still lying on the ground."I'm alright."  
"Are you so sure about that?" The purple dragon asked with disbelief. "You've taken strong blow. Just lay down and let me help Cynder." He suggested.  
"No!" Vixen quickly stood up and jumped to Spyro. The purple dragon released from his mouth freezing breath, which turned the ground before him into ice, but Vixen jumped back just in time to avoid it. Then, she saw stream of fire enclosing to her. The black dragoness took deep breath and shielded herself from the fire with wind. As Spyro was done with fire, it had already melted the ice before him creating cloud steam between him and Vixen. The black dragoness quickly jumped in the air above steam and dove into it avoiding earth bullet for centimeters. Then she felt high voltage across whole her body and she fell on the ground hardly. She could see sparks of electricity fading in purple dragon's mouth.  
"Stay there." Spyro said and turned around from her. He started walking to Primero. Vixen hissed angrily. Spyro didn't use his full strength, not even half of it. The black dragoness hated being treated like little girl. She couldn't stand when someone thought that something like that would stop her.  
"Don't ignore me!"She stood up and tried to run to Spyro, when another, much stronger lightning hit her chest. Vixen collapsed, unable to move.  
"I told you to stay there." Spyro repeated himself, this time with ordering voice. "I don't want to hurt you." That blow knocked her out for good. All her body burnt with pain, but she was alive. If Spyro wished so, he would easily kill her then. But he flew to help Cynder. Vixen glared at her fingers and hissed angrily. Those were barely bending and she needed to stand up quickly. "Move, move, move!" She whispered. "I must be up!" From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to join the battle again. Her fight wasn't over. She still had to protect Him.

Angelo leaned right under wyvern's tailblade and shot lightning in his chest, killing him. Another one tried to attack, but he easily blocked the blow and pushed him away. The vice-captain made wave of lightning, which forced all wyverns to jump away. Angelo turned his head to hatchlings. "Are you alright?" He asked. All five of them nodded. Vice-captain smirked. He wished he could say this same about himself. All his body was covered in scars, most of them were from talons, but he had one from poisoned tailblade. His left arm was dangling, all covered in his blood and with open fracture of bone, not speaking of terrible state of his crashed paw with all its fingers broken. The lightning dragon held right arm in the place, where was poisoned wound and sucked out some of blood. Then, he spited it out quickly. There wasn't much of poison, so if he was lucky, he had already got rid of all of it. All wyverns attacked again. The dragon sent another wide stream of lightning, but one of drakes jumped at him from above. He fell at Angelo and started forcing with him. Angelo cursed silently, he knew that if he didn't stand up in next several seconds, he would be dead. All wyverns were running to him with intend to kill. Then, they were just pushed away, with some invisible force, including the one on him. Angelo watched around surprised. In front of him landed several dragons, the ones he recognized were Ivory, Genesis, Ray and Lyrian, but there were also several other dragons, as he guessed, guards from the city. Around them, there appeared protective sphere of magic.  
"I brought them." Sparxsaid proudly as he appeared next to Angelo. The vice-captain never thought that he would owe life to dragonfly. Genesis smiled, as he stood next to his brother.  
"Need some help?" He asked lightning dragon. He looked practically unhurt, maybe limping a little because of one of arm, which had been dislocated by Douten.  
"Yeah, I hope you'll leave some of them for us." Ray, who stood next to Angelo said.  
"By the way, didn't you say you wouldn't fight?" The lightning vice-captain noticed and watched the elder suspiciously.  
"When I met at the street Sparx calling for help, I simply had to go with him, right? We took also several guards from the city walls, as you see." Ray explained.  
"Angelo, that's quite nasty blow of yours." Ivory noticed. Then, she glared at hatchlings. "I thought, they were supposed to remain in city, Angee." She blamed lightning dragon, smiling maliciously, as she said last word. She still couldn't forgive him calling her Ivy.  
"That's long story." Angelo replied. Finally, he understood how annoying his shortcuts were. "So what's the strategy?" He asked the dragoness, since she was the oldest dragon there.  
"Our two stand back." She jumped above vice-captains to hatchlings. "Someone has to protect kids."  
"So everyone fight in first line and dame stands back and watches their tails kicked, huh?" Angelo narrowed eyes at Ivory. He wasn't going to forget that 'Angee' quickly.  
"Will you let pregnant dragoness, who's already almost out of energy, fight in a first line? Very gentlemanly." Ivory riposted, surprised that he had suggested such a thing.  
"She hit a point." Sparx whispered to Angelo's ear. The dragon rolled his eyes and, seeing his mistake, stood next to fire breather. He and his brother made defensive poses. The fire breather watched his twin brother skeptically and Angelo stood back next to Ivory; he wasn't in state for fight. Wyverns understood that Ivory wasn't going to use her magic again and they started enclosing slowly to dragons.  
"Genesis, you may be a vice captain, but I'm sure I'll kill more of them than you." Ray assured him.  
"Challenge accepted." Genesis made offensive pose.  
"Ray, don't forget about me." One of guards, the fire breather, said. "I'll win the game." Ivory watched them surprised, not believing that anyone could treat killing as a game. She noted in her mind to scold all three of them. The dragoness planned to give them such a lecture that they would never more underestimate the worth of life.  
"Tch. You'll try." After elder's words, dragons, all at once attacked wyverns.  
Meanwhile, Ivory sat on the ground and focused. She had to regain all power used that day, healing Tris combined with her pregnancy really exhausted her. Magical aura in the air was really strong, so there was no problem about regaining her power. After a minute or two, she started healing Angelo's arm. It was in terrible state.  
"Angelo, I'm afraid that once we return to the town, I'll have to amputate this paw." The white dragoness stated.  
"Can't there be done anything about it?" The lightning dragon asked hopefully.  
"No, there can't." Ivory refused. "It's far too damaged, I won't be able to save anything. Maybe if I had more power, I could try, but..."  
"I understand." The lightning dragon interrupted her. "Save your energy for guardians. They may need it more than me." He agreed. After all, he would feel terribly if because of his selfishness someone lost his life, wouldn't he?  
"Mrs. Ivory?" Sierra asked. "Are our parents still fighting?"  
"Yeah. But before you even notice, they'll be back. No worries." She assured her smiling slightly. Everyone was saying Sierra so. But young earth dragoness, like all hatchlings, had really bad feelings and she couldn't get rid of those.

Douten shielded himself from poison with wall of earth. Then, he heard stream of fire behind him. The earth dragon jumped away avoiding Spyro's attack. In front of Primero landed Spyro and Cynder.  
"You've already killed her?" Douten asked with note of surprise and disappointment, completely deprived of any worries about her. From Spyro's face, he could read answer. "That good-hearted nature will kill you someday." Douten warned him. He shot an earth bullet, but Spyro easily avoided it. Cynder blown with wings sending powerful blow of wind to him. The earth dragon lost balance for a second, but he created wall of earth protecting him from Spyro's ice spike. Right next to him, from shadows appeared Cynder. She slashed with her tailblade, but Douten leaned back avoiding it for centimeters. Spyro jumped to him from behind trying to slash him and then Primero jumped in the air. Cynder easily brought him down with beat of wings. The green dragon fell between Spyro and Cynder. They both had already started charging Convexity. Douten cursed seeing that. Two streams of energy were released right at him. Douten jumped away from it in the very last second. He created wall of earth in place he had been earlier, so as void energy reached it, it exploded throwing away hundreds small rocks. In effect of Convexity, whole cave trembled, several small stones fell from roof, letting more light reach inside. Spyro felt terrible pain, as some stone fell at his tail. He groaned painfully, as he took stone away from it. Luckily, it wasn't broken. The purple dragon watched around and saw black dragoness lying on the ground, surrounded by stones from roof. Though light was very weak, Spyro quickly understood that one of those stones fell at her knocking her out. He ran to her with no hesitations. "Cynder!" Then, the black dragoness quickly stood up and jumped to him. Spyro understood his mistake, when he was already too close. That was Vixen. She swung her paw to him. She could have killed him, but she attacked a bit too early to get him. Before she made any other blow, Cynder flew in her throwing her away. Both dragonesses rolled on the ground older one kicked her opponent away. Vixen stood up quickly and jumped away from green drips of poison. Then, dragonesses beat their wings at this same moment countering each other's wind. Spyro, glad that he didn't have to fight Vixen anymore, yet angry that she was still fighting, ran to Douten.

Cynder and Vixen crossed their tailblades. Vixen smiled glaring at the older black dragoness. "Finally we meet, huh?" She noticed. Then, Cynder grinned ominously, around her, there started gathering some dark energy.  
"Do you fear darkness?" She asked with menacing voice.  
"And why should I?" Vixen asked confidently. Then, darkness surrounded Cynder. She faded away in shadows to appear right behind Vixen and slash her hinder leg, thanks to youngster's quick reaction, only shallowly. Vixen hissed painfully and swung her tailblade at Cynder, scratching her forehead, other swing touched her horn, but made no serious harm again. Cynder tried to slash her with talons, but the other dragoness turned around blocking other blows. Dragonesses started forcing, but again, Vixen was losing. She cursed in mind her small body. It gave her amazing dexterity, but she was much weaker than any dragon, especially older. Cynder brought her down to the ground. She clenched her fist as she was about to knock her out. Cynder didn't intend to kill her. Then, small dragoness released herself rolled next to her rapidly, giving enemy several wounds at limbs with talons and tailblade. She stood up several meters from her enemy to see purple energy in Cynder's mouth. It was just about to be released.  
"Oh, this is bad." Vixen whispered. She jumped at the right, barely managing to avoid the purple energy, which Cynder aimed at her paws. Again, not to kill, but only make unable to move. Vixen landed sighing with relief, when she saw Cynder taking deep breath. She knew what was coming. Vixen beaten her wings strongly, just in time to don't let fearful scream reach her ears. She blocked It somehow. Vixen started running to Cynder, when she disappeared in shadows. The young dragoness turned around expecting blow from behind. Then, she caught sight of Cynder out of corner of eye and saw streams of poison flying right to her from the side. Vixen beaten her wing throwing all the poison above her. Staying next to her enemy with one wing raised, she was completely defenseless. Cynder grinned, that was the opening, which she was waiting for. The black dragoness released wind from her mouth throwing Vixen at wall behind her strongly. Cynder didn't attack again, but waited for her. Vixen slowly stood up. She was breathing hardly. She wasn't sure if she managed to protect herself from Cynder's fear. She was so terrified... She felt that she was no match for so mighty dragoness, she was completely suppressed by her.  
"Kid, you may look like me, use wind like me, but still you can't win against me." Cynder said. It started being annoying that such a youngster tried to be her copy. Younger dragoness jerked her head surprised.  
"Why are you so sure about that?" Vixen was annoyed as well, because of being called kid.  
"Because I'm older, more experienced, stronger and better user of elements." Cynder explained. Vixen just giggled like little girl.  
"Oh, come on, I stand chance against you. I may be inconspicuous, but I'm smaller, faster and more..." She started counting, don't even watching her enemy. Cynder faded to shadows and appeared next to Vixen. She touched with talons small dragoness's throat, before she even managed to react.  
"Reckless." Cynder finished her sentence. "Don't let your guard down." She gave her advice. Vixen pushed her paw away and jumped back. She knew that she was alive just thanks to Cynder's mercy.  
"Maybe I am reckless a little." The small dragoness admitted reluctantly. "But no worries, I learn quickly." Vixen giggled childishly, grinned and made defensive pose. "I can assure you, I'm not as easy to kill, as you think." Vixen always thought that when she would face Cynder they would be equals, that she wouldn't be jealous about her anymore. She understood how wrong she was.

Spyro slashed Douten's face. The earth dragon groaned painfully and he fell on the ground. Next to his old scar at eye appeared three new wounds, but shallow ones, luckily. He was already breathing hardly, exhausted with that fight, oppositely to Spyro, who wasn't even tired. The purple dragon jumped to enemy. He went through wall of earth, leaned beneath clubbed tail of ex-elder and shot to him stream of fire. Douten started flying and shot several earth bullets. Spyro followed him in the air and shot to him the fireball. It would reach Primero, if it wasn't extinguished by blow of wind. Surprised Spyro noticed Vixen, who because of protecting her father took on herself powerful blow of hot air.  
"If you play like that..." Spyro whispered to himself. "...How about that?!" While shouting, he released stream of electricity. Douten dove beneath it and landed on the ground. Spyro was about to land too, when right beneath him started appearing earth pillars. He spun rapidly flying at the right and landing next to those pillars. Meanwhile, he shot to the alchemist ice spike, which was countered with earth bullet. Douten and Spyro jumped to each other. The blocked each other's paws and stood still for several seconds, neither of them was stronger. Both males hit each other's head with their foreheads, but again, both of them appeared to be at this same level. Douten grinned, as they were abutting against each other's foreheads.  
"I'm a little stronger than my little daughter." Primero noticed.  
"How dare you call yourself her father?" Spyro asked angrily. He hated how Douten was playing on Vixen's feelings and using her.  
"I have to maintain a semblance of my feelings about her." The alchemist explained. He jumped in the air. Spyro was about to follow him, when he caught sight of two black dragonesses, who were beating their wings simultaneously. He knew what was coming. Douten shot to him an earth bullet. The purple dragon didn't even try to shield himself, he juts dug his claws deeply in the ground. Then, powerful wind blew away both Douten and his bullet away. Spyro smiled to himself. It looked like both black dragonesses were at this same level of mastering wind. Douten fell on the ground uncontrollably about twenty meters from Spyro. He slowly stood up and then, small ice spike appeared in his shoulder. Primero groaned painfully and fell on the ground.  
"Dad!" Vixen turned around from Cynder and screamed fearfully.  
"I'm fine!" The alchemist shouted, as he took ice spike from his wound. The black dragoness nodded, turned around and continued fight with Cynder. Douten and Spyro started running to each other, they weren't going to attack with elements, but talons and tailblades.

Vixen turned her head to watch her father and the purple dragon running to each other. She jumped away from Cynder without even glaring at her, as if she was ignoring her. Cynder attacked with poison, but Vixen avoided her attack again and continued watching males fearfully. "Spyro will die." Vixen whispered. Cynder watched her dumbstruck.  
"What are you talking about?" Older of them asked or rather demanded answer. She stopped.  
"He wants to lure Spyro at the close distance and there pierce him with earth pillar." Vixen explained.  
"How can you know that?" Cynder asked suspiciously.  
"He was training this movement for whole days. And besides, he's my father, I know him. He will kill Spyro." Vixen said it with such a tone, as if she didn't want to believe her own words. At first, Cynder thought, it was just decoy, but then she watched two males carefully, especially Douten and his pose. She understood that young dragoness was deadly serious about her words. And realizing that, she exactly knew what to do.

Spyro and Douten were running to each other quickly, distance between them was decreasing inexorably. When distance between them was not much bigger than just two meters, from ground, there started appearing pillar of earth, thin as blade of sword, enclosing to Spyro's chest. The purple dragon noticed it, but he knew that he couldn't avoid it, he was running too fast to avoid something so close. Then, some dark shaped pushed him away. Spyro fell on the ground and then, he heard nasty noise of pierced flesh. Spyro, lying on the ground, lifted his head to see the dragoness, who saved his life. Her right side of chest was pierced with earth. Smile didn't leave her face, though at her lips, there appeared first drops of blood from pierced lung. Spyro watched her aghast, just as the second dragoness. Neither of them expected that.  
"No..." Spyro whispered. He couldn't believe, she did it. He was supposed to take that blow. Douten watched her with surprise, but then, across his lips, there danced understanding.  
"Just as expected from you, isn't it, my Cynder?" Primero watched blood dripping on the ground from thin pillar of earth. He watched carefully Spyro to see his eyes blazing with pure hatred. Those eyes told him that the real fight had just begun.


	54. Facing death

Chapter 54. "Facing death"

Tremor watched Candice's body, lying on the ground, from his eyes were dripping tears. He was touching her paw, already cold as the ice, the scales seemed so… harsh. Gaia stood next to him. She remained silent, trying to imagine, how really crushed her brother was. She knew that he had already reached the complete bottom, his heart was overfilled with pointlessness and sorrow. "Gaia."Tremor whispered. Green dragoness turned her head at him. "Can I be alone for a moment?"  
"Tremor..." She tried to refuse.  
"Please." Tremor asked her. His sister nodded and just disappeared. There remained after her nothing more than just green aura. Brute watched that with surprise. He almost pitied that dragon.  
"I told you that she would die. But because of your stubbornness, you ignored me. It's your fault." The wyvern was standing about twenty meters from him. "How long will it take you to understand, that you're cause of all those deaths? That your sister, Flush, Candice, they all died because of your recklessness and stubbornness. You are death, Tremor. Everyone, who is around you, dies." He smiled. "Now it's going to be Ivory's turn, huh? I've heard that she was pregnant. It would be such a pity if she died today... Or maybe Ray? You've been good friends for so long time that I'm surprised that he's actually alive. Not speaking of Flameus." Tremor didn't reply, he didn't react at those words at all. "How long will it take you to understand truth?" The wyvern excepted answer, but he heard none. "Well, I'll repeat deal, I offered you in Teria. I'll kill you, to protect your friends from you, the death bringer. How about that?" The wyvern laughed silently. "Come on, Tremor, you have nothing left to live for." There was no respond. Brute took from his bag a bomb. "Well, I guess that means yes." He threw it to the earth guardian, who was still standing with his back to opponent. Small bomb exploded, dragon disappeared in dust. As it fell on the ground, wyvern saw wall of earth, which turned into pieces several seconds later. Tremor glared at Brute with eyes glowing with green energy. Coldly, with hatred. In his sight there was something even more terrifying and cold-hearted than in Icey's. He had enough of Brute. Enough of his babbling about death. Enough of his talking so lightly about Gaia.  
"Speaking of my sister..." The earth guardian was far away from even the slightest smile. "I guess you meant her." Brute heard some noise. Right next to him, there appeared the green dragoness. She slashed his left shoulder deeply. Vengantimo jumped away and threw bomb to her to make her pull back. Then, he heard noise of broken bone and felt intensive pain in jaw. With corner of eye he noticed Tremor, who had appeared in front of him before wyvern even noticed that. Strength of blow in jaw threw Vengantimo in the air. Brute groaned painfully. Whole his head burnt with unbearable pain. Gaia landed next to Tremor, who was watching carefully flying back wyvern.  
"For moment I thought, I've really lost you." Gaia said with worries.  
"Candy… She's…I still have Sierra and Tundra to protect. I'll not stop, until they're safe. And also, I gave Ivory promise." Tremor said. Just a moment earlier, Gaia could feel his seek of revenge overtaking him completely. But he didn't let it possess him. His sister watched him sadly. Her brother was surprisingly well, after what happened. Or rather, he seemed to be, because she knew that in bottom of his heart, he was crying after Candice. And his cry would never stop.  
"I'm covering you." Gaia told him. "Just don't let hatred consume you."  
"No worries." Tremor replied. He controlled himself. In time of their dialogue, Sexto put paw to bag. Small incendiary bomb was sent to earth dragons, but earth bullet pushed it away. Explosion covered whole place in fire. Gaia shot an earth bullet, Tremor started running to enemy. The wyvern was floating about one meter above ground and started throwing bombs. All of them were sent away with Gaia's shots. Tremor jumped to Brute and forced with him. The earth guardian was much stronger, so he pushed him back to the ground. Then, Vengantimo saw Gaia jumping in the air right behind Tremor and swinging her tail.  
"Tremor!" She shouted, though there was no need to do so. Her brother leaned down, leaving Vengantimo's head completely unguarded, so Gaia had clear shot. But Brute leaned back avoiding her clubbed tail just in time. Then Tremor hit his chest with head. Vengantimo fell on the ground and rolled away. He started flying, when in front of him appeared Gaia. She slashed with talons, but wyvern flew above her leaving her bomb in front of face. Power of explosion threw dragoness to the ground, but Tremor caught her, before she would crash. She watched him surprised.  
"Don't worry about me. I already can't die." She noticed. Her brother smiled slightly, or at least meant to do so.  
"It doesn't mean I can't catch you." He replied. Twins attacked again, this time together. Tremor sent to wyvern the earth bullet. Brute crushed it with small bomb, when at his side appeared Gaia. He blocked dragoness with clubbed tail, when in front of him appeared the earth guardian. Vengantimo jumped back, when he felt that behind him, there was wall of earth.  
"I've got you." Tremor said, as he stabbed Sexto with paws. The wyvern blocked blow with gauntlets. There could be heard metallic noise, as his gloves started cracking and Tremor's talons started covering with blood. Then, right next to Tremor flew small earth bullet from Gaia. It hit one of Vengantimo's wing's bones, breaking it painfully. Brute pushed away Tremor and jumped back, increasing distance between them. Gaia tried to attack with clubbed tail, but Sexto blocked it with his tailblade and took several steps more, so between him and Tremor there were about ten meters already. He shook off parts of his would only disturb him since they were in pieces, even if those were necessary to him to detonate bombs. In such state, they were simply useless. Gaia landed next to her brother.  
"Did you just lose your bombs?" Tremor grinned. In that case, he simply couldn't lose.  
"Why do you think so?" The wyvern took bomb and burnt its fuse with fire, which remained on the ground after incendiary bomb from earlier. He threw it on the ground causing appearing of even more fire. Still, he hadn't much time left, rain was going to extinguish it quickly. Gaia noticed sudden glow in her brother's eyes, as he watched the fire. She knew this sight. He had a plan.  
"Should I just extinguish all that fire?" The earth dragoness whispered suggestion. It wouldn't take her long and if she did that, Brute would lose without doubts.  
"I have another idea. After he throws bombs, distract him for while." Tremor decided. She bobbed with head. She had no idea, what was his plan, but she was already willing to believe it was going to work out.  
"Do you think, he'll fall on it again?" She asked. They had already done trick with distraction.  
"That will be something new." He smiled, as Brute threw two bombs at him. "Don't do a thing." He said to his sister. The wyvern started running to dragons, as he saw explosion at earth wall.  
"Now, Gaia."Tremor whispered. Gaia flew to wyvern and swung her tail at him. Brute leaned back and jumped away from her, he had already learnt not to fight with her at close distance. He caught sight of earth guardian flying from another side out of his corner of eye. Just as expected. He blocked the dragoness's blow and jumped to Tremor. He was about to slash him, when Tremor caught his arm. At that moment, the earth guardian press his still clenched fist against the ground covered in fire. Gaia released that he was holding something in there. For a second, there could be heard some disturbing hiss. Tremor tried with fist to hit wyvern's chest, but Vengantimo jumped back, avoiding blow for centimeters. The earth guardian smiled and opened his paw, from which appeared small bomb with almost completely burnt fuse. It exploded in moment, it touched wyvern's chest, throwing both Tremor and Brute away. Vengantimo stopped at tree and fell on the ground painfully. At his chest, there was one great, bleeding burn, he barely could breath, and from his lips was dripping blood from his bleeding lungs. The wyvern watched Tremor with disbelief. He knew that earth guardian was both tough and reckless, but he didn't expect him to do such a thing. He would never use that bomb at so close distance. He liked his arm too much and he wouldn't want it torn to shreds.  
"Are you alright?" Gaia asked. She had got really worried about Tremor, as her brother was thrown away for several meters. At this moment, he was holding his paw and hissing painfully. "Let me see that." Gaia shown her his paw, three fingers were twisted or broken, whole paw to the elbow was all over covered in bleeding burns. He barely could move it. "That was reckless." The earth dragoness admonished him. "By the way, where did you get that bomb from?"  
"I extinguished one of his bombs, when he threw two of them, later I burnt its fuse using fire on the ground." Tremor explained.  
"If it didn't work out, you'd lose your arm." Gaia noticed.  
"I couldn't resist. And that's..." He watched his wound carefully." That's nothing, Ember or Ivory can heal that." He tried to smile, but hissed, as placed paw on the ground.  
"Still, you should be more careful about yourself. And from this point, you better fly." His sister suggested. He nodded and with his sister flew to lying on the ground Vengantimo. Brute smiled, as he saw dragons landing right in front of him.  
"Impressive, Tremor. If I tried something like that, I would surely say goodbye to my hand..."  
"Die now, Brute." The earth dragon wasn't in mood to converse with wyvern.  
"Wait, just listen to me." Brute tried to stop him, as dragon touched his throat.  
"Why should I?" The guardian asked coldly.  
"My last request... Won't you fill it?" Tremor took his talons from wyvern's throat, Vengantimo sighed with relief.  
"So, you'll take your revenge for Flush, huh?" Vengantimo asked. Tremor felt that his blood was boiling. In fervor of fight, he had almost forgotten that Sexto had murdered Flush. "You surely hate me for killing him, don't you?"  
"I do. But if I really wanted to take my revenge for him, you would regret day, when we met." Dragon's voice was so harsh and filled with such hatred that wyvern swallowed hardly. "Hurry up and say, what you want, idea of killing you right now becomes even more tempting every second."  
"We're alike, aren't we?" Sexto noticed. The earth guardian barely stopped himself from killing wyvern in that very moment.  
"I'm nothing like you." Dragon refused.  
"We'll see, if you're telling truth. I mean my situation now and your ten years ago. At first, it was just mission, our duty, nothing personal. That was, until appeared feelings. It's funny thing that every of us fell in love with his greatest enemy." Vengantimo noticed. Tremor couldn't help smiling slightly, as he thought about his first months with Candice. "Then, in lives of each of us, appeared two new priorities. Yours were to protect Candice and everyone around you from danger and to have happy life with your mate. Mine were to get Sierra and raise her as my own daughter and kill all from her family, to give her safe future. At end of that journey, you decided to protect friends, instead of your happy life. You sacrificed one of priorities for another one. And I... I'll do this same." Devilish smile appeared at his face.  
"Tremor, pull back!" Gaia screamed, as she understood, what was going to happen. The earth guardian saw, how Brute was creating stream of sparks with parts of glove, which he was still holding in paw for all that time. Fuse from big bomb at his back burnt. The earth guardian jumped away, shielding his face from explosion, which was about to come.  
"Too late." He heard whisper. And then, there was only earth shaking explosion.

Icey heard explosion and coughed lightly, as some of dust reached his nostrils. He didn't have to open eyes, he exactly knew, what had just happened. Tercera smiled slightly. "Brute, Brute... You don't know how to lose, do you?" He sighed deeply. "Two down. Or maybe three, huh, Gaia?" He whispered silently, knowing that there was no force, which could save Tremor. He regretted losing opportunity to kill the earth guardian, but he was sure, there were going to be others to be killed. Maybe Infernus or Stella? The lightning guardian, oppositely to Candice, could be quite a challenge.

Espejo and two fire breathers stopped for a while, when they heard explosion. All three of them completely forgot about fight and watched the place, where noise came from.  
"What the..." Flame asked himself. Neither he nor his mate understood, what had happened. They had already heard explosions of Brute's bomb, but that one was tens times louder.  
"Brute, you idiot." Espejo whispered. Both fire breathers watched him curiously. "That big bomb at his back... He wasn't kidding, when he said that he'd blow himself up..." Segunda shook his head slowly.  
"Blow himself up?" Ember asked with disbelief.  
"Yes. And that means your earth guardian's dead already." He turned at fire breathers. "This is not your lucky day, dragons." He noticed.  
"So is Brute. It's neither your lucky day." Flame riposted. Then, Segunda jumped between fire breathers and slashed with paw aiming at Flame's face. The fire guardian blocked the blow with talons. Meanwhile, Ember tried to slash Vengantimo's hinder legs, but then, wyvern blocked both her blows with two fast swings of tailblade and kicked her face with hinder leg, throwing her on the ground behind him. Then, wyvern bounced from the ground, at first with arms, a second later with legs. He straightened his wings so he was flying to Ember with his back to the ground. He tried to slash pink dragoness's throat, but she leaned her head back. In effect, Espejo only scratched her, but managed to tear her necklace off. He landed several meters farther, watching carefully red heart of Ember's necklace.  
"My necklace!" Ember shouted. Flame stood at her side.  
"We attack together." The fire breather whispered. "One. Two."  
"Three." Vengantimo finished their counting down and jumped to dragons. Both fire breathers swung their paws at him, each of them from other directions. Vengantimo leaned back, avoiding them for centimeters. He noticed opening at Ember's guard and he tried to stab her throat, but then, Flame bitten his arm deeply. Ember was about to slash Vengantimo's face, when Segunda used necklace as a shield. The pink dragoness stopped her paw and then wyvern hit her face with head strongly, making her lose her balance and collapse. Meanwhile, Flame swung his paw, trying to kill Vengantimo. But Espejo, with sudden swing of paw, released it from fire guardian's jaws, gave him three scratches at his cheek and blocked his blow. Flame released stream of fire. Espejo jumped back and absorbed all flames. He shot them to Ember, but pink dragoness rolled away dodging it. The fire guardian ran to Vengantimo, but wyvern jumped to Ember. The pink dragoness was about to slash his chest, when again, Espejo used her necklace as shield. Ember stopped for a while, for Vengantimo it was just enough to slash her chest deeply and hit her face with her own necklace, knocking her out.  
"Ember!" Flame shouted fearfully.  
"Worry about yourself, dragon!" Vengantimo threw right in the red dragon's face Ember's necklace. Flame caught it, covering his vision for a second with his paw. In time of that second, Espejo swung his tail scratching his cheek, then he pressed his paw to Flame's arm and released small amount of magic throwing him to the ground. Both dragons were laying and groaning painfully. Segunda grinned as he watched both of them.  
"I have to admit, you're amazing warriors. When I attacked two matured dragons before the eastern city, fight took me about half a minute and you... I've never met opponents who would be able to fight against me so long." Espejo didn't say that with disdain, he actually respected those two. "That's a pity I have to kill so powerful dragons."  
"You don't have to." Ember replied. She released stream of fire to Vengantimo, who absorbed it with one of paws. Meanwhile, Flame tried to attack slashing with paws. Espejo blocked his blow and then, the fire guardian grasped his arm. Segunda released stream of fire back to Ember. The pink dragoness stepped aside and jumped to Vengantimo. She knew that he couldn't block all her blows with just one paw. When she was about to get the wyvern, Espejo rapidly jumped back, pulling Flame in such way that his mate fell on him and both dragons collapsed. Vengantimo smiled pitifully watching them both on the ground.  
"Nice try." He admitted.  
"We're not done yet!" Flame shouted, as he jumped at Vengantimo. Espejo just laid down, so Flame simply flew above the wyvern. Segunda jumped to the dragon, intending to attack his back. He blocked fire guardian's block. Then, to wyvern's surprise, Flame closed eyes. Vengantimo noticed small shiny fireball flying next to him. He knew what was going to happen. Espejo turned around to Ember, sure that the fireball he left behind was the only one. He understood how wrong he was, when he saw that Ember had closed eyes too. Right before his face, second fireball exploded blinding Vengantimo for a moment. That was all that fire breathers needed. They jumped to the wyvern. Espejo swung his paws releasing magic, trying to shield, but he failed, he knew it. Across his lips, there danced a gentle smile.  
"Good one." He whispered with respect. He felt proud because of facing so powerful and skilled dragons, he not really regretted dying killed by them. Maybe only because he'd never see that Tris. But she wouldn't want to see him, Vengantimo, would she? Especially, if he'd kill the dragon guardian. He blocked Flame's blow swinging his arm blindly, even wounded his arm. But at this same moment Ember slashed through his chest, breaking ribs and tearing apart wyvern's lungs and heart. Both dragons stopped several steps from Vengantimo. Espejo fell slowly on the ground. His gentle smile turned into a grin of dying person. "Really good one, dragons." He whispered with respect and fell on the ground.

The earth guardian coughed hardly. He was lying on the ground, surrounded by cloud of dust. Explosion threw him on the ground so fast, that his back felt as if it was on fire, though from the explosion had already passed several minutes. But that was good sign. As long it hurt, he could be sure he was alive. He blinked several times to see Gaia, right above him.  
"Are you alright?" She asked with worries and raised her paw to him.  
"That's nothing, volcano was much worse." Tremor assured her and grasped her paw. His sister helped him to get up. Then, guardian saw that in front of him were remains of wall long for at least several meters. Gaia created it between him and Brute right before the explosion.  
"If not that, there wouldn't remain much of you." Gaia noticed. Tremor smiled nervously and swallowed hardly, as he saw that trees in range of fifteen meters literally disappeared, leaving only burnt roots.  
"Thanks." He coughed again, dust was everywhere.  
"No problem, I already stopped counting, how many times I've already saved you." Gaia noticed.  
"Very funny." He replied, seeing her smile. Then he turned head, at direction where was Icey. Gaia knew this sight.  
"You barely survived that fight. I can't let you do it all alone." She forestalled his words.  
"Sorry sister, but this time I have to fight alone." Tremor decided. "Icey...This is my fight. I could always count on you, but this time... It's only my fight." His sister sighed deeply, her eyes stopped on his wounded paw. Like every caring sister, she didn't like the idea of leaving him on his own.  
"Fine. Just try not to die." She pleased. Tremor nodded and he started running at the top of hill.

Icey was staying with his back to the earth guardian, his head was hanging, and eyes remained closed. Until he heard steps. Tercera lifted his head, opened blue eyes and smiled slightly, satisfied with that coming. He had to admit that this dragon was stronger than he expected.  
"So, you showed up." He said without glaring at guardian, turned at him with his back.  
"You'll die here. You will hurt no one more." Tremor hissed angrily. Icey slowly turned around. He smiled to Tremor with pity. Down his old scales, there was slowly dripping the rain.  
"You don't know when to give up. Especially on her. You almost died trying to bring her back ten years ago, now interrupting my fight, killing Brute... What pushes you to do this all?" He asked. Tremor didn't reply, just hissed angrily. "Love. Is it really that strong?" Icey asked once more. He didn't remember that feeling. He had wiped it out from his heart completely so now, those were only four random letters to him. He hadn't felt this feeling for so many years. "But, on the other hand, its lack is even stronger, as you could see." He smiled. He understood this long time ago that it was why he became so cold. "For long time I haven't seen eyes like those. So loveless, filled with hatred... Even more than my own. You surely seek my death, don't you?"  
"You'll pay for that." The earth guardian was looking for opportunity to attack, but he couldn't find any opening in Vengantimo's guard.  
"After Creencia's death, I understood that all dragons should feel this same way, as I did. When you have to watch your beloved dying in front of your eyes. When her life flies away right between your paws, no matter, how strong you try to keep it. I want you all to understand it. Pain of loss."  
"Understand?" Tremor asked with disbelief. "To make me understand? Understand this, what I've endured far too much?! And that's all?! Is that the only reason of this all?!" He shouted, mad at the wyvern. His eyes were glowing with green light. Tercera just smiled flippantly.  
"Yeah." He answered coldly. "Cruel, isn't it?" Icey asked rhetorically. The earth guardian howled madly, from earth at Icey's both sides appeared earth wyvern stopped them creating ice around his temples. His eyes grew wide, as he felt that earth pillars touched skin of his head. He saw dragon's talons and jumped back. Earth touching his scales made two long wounds at sides of his head. Tercera couldn't believe that rapidly Tremor became so fast. He always used to think that he was the weakest of dragon guardians, so this sudden attack surprised him. From earth appeared other stone pillars, which went through Icey's wall of ice without any problem. Vengantimo barely managed to avoid them all, his shield of ice didn't work against that earth. He understood that on the ground he was the one with disadvantage. He beaten wings strongly flying quickly above Tremor and getting advantage of height. The earth guardian shot himself in the air with stone pillar. In several seconds, he was at Tercera's height. They flew to each other releasing elements. Dust and small pieces of stone and ice was everywhere, as Tercera and guardian flew to each other and started forcing. It was obvious that dragon was much stronger, if he had several seconds more, he would surely win. But Icey knew that he couldn't lose.  
"Helarse, Tremor." From his chest appeared spread of ice. The earth dragon tried to fly away, but he felt that Icey was holding him. He wanted to break ice spike with earth bullet, though he doubted if he would manage to do that in time. But then, the ice stopped just several centimeters from Tremor's chest. To his surprise, it was already all covered in blood. Icey groaned silently with pain. He turned his head slowly at dragoness behind him. He couldn't believe his eyes, neither could Tremor.  
"Candice...Impossible..." The wyvern whispered, watching the ice guardian with widely opened eyes. He dropped the earth guardian and started falling on the ground. Candice dove quickly to him, not giving Tremor even the slightest sight. The earth guardian watched her surprised, not sure, if wasn't he dreaming. He didn't understand a thing, so he followed her. On the ground, Tercera was watching her in disbelief.  
"Your body's lying right there...I killed you. No clone can imitate blood..." Icey whispered.  
"Well, I can." She replied, as Tremor landed next to her. The earth guardian watched her with disbelief. Was it truth? Or was she just an imitation, lying Vengantimo so he would die believing that he failed? Icey stood up slowly, though it was quite a challenge for him. "My clones are better than yours, Icey." She said triumphantly. Vengantimo hissed painfully.  
"You're lying! That's impossible...I've been watching you all the time..." Speaking with one lung pierced was surely very hard for Icey. From his lips started dripping blood. "You couldn't replace yourself! You had no time to do that!" He made slight move with paws, ready to jump. "But to make sure..." Before the dragoness could react, he jumped to her and tried to stab her throat. Then, between them, appeared Tremor. He swung at Icey with his clubbed tail, hitting him right in his head, there could be heard nasty noise of broken bone. The wyvern was sent for several meters in the air and fell on the ground, dead. Candice sighed with relief, he didn't even manage to touch her. Tremor turned at the dragoness.  
"Candy..." He stumbled. He didn't know, what to say, how to ask her about that. He felt his heart rate spiked. "Are you... Are you real? You know, I mean..." He watched her hopefully. He wanted to believe that it was really her, but he knew that Icey hit a point. Tremor had never seen Candice imitating blood and even gentle warmth of body. She never told him that she could do it. And, watching Icey's imitations, he really doubted about it. The ice dragoness just smiled.  
"Of course that's me, you pebble-brain." She said fondly. The earth guardian felt his heart leaping in joy, as he cuddled her strongly. His eyes became wet from tears of joy. "I'm so happy that you're alright." Candice whispered with relief in her voice. "I was so scared about you when there was that giant explosion that I barely managed to keep hiding and..."  
"Don't do it anymore." Tremor pleased after several seconds of silence. "Never." The ice guardian smiled slightly thinking at first that he was just kidding, but his face was deadly serious.  
"You've died so many times and can't I do it once?" She asked indignantly. "No worries, I won't do it anymore." She promised and felt that he was cuddling her even stronger. "Hey, sweety, I'm trying to breath." She earth dragon released his hug a bit embarrassed and kissed her passionately. He felt such inexpressible relief…  
"Was it that bad to see my death?" Candice asked once they finally stopped kissing. It took them a moment.  
"You have no idea." Tremor replied, while wiping tears from his cheeks.  
"Trust me, I do." The ice guardian assured him. Tremor laughed silently.  
"Right..." He agreed reluctantly.  
"Candice? Are you alive?" They heard surprised voice. Both guardians turned their heads to see Flame and Ember. Two fire breathers were covered in their blood from dozens of wounds. Ember had long mark after already healed long slash of talons at her chest, she lacked necklace at her neck. Flame's tail was bent unnaturally, broken, at his cheek, there were three bloody lines, and those weren't just scratches.  
"Where's your..." Tremor pointed pink dragoness's neck.  
"Here it is." Flame was holding necklace in his paw. "That wyvern tore it off and used as shield against us. With his tricks and speed, he was even worse than Icey." He sat on the ground and sighed deeply, completely exhausted after that fight. He hissed with pain, as leaned against right front arm, which still hurt, after Segunda had released small amount of magical energy to push him away. "Speaking of Icey, I saw him killing you." Flame noticed. Both fire breathers gave ice guardian asking sights.  
"In moment we were in the air he turned to see, how your fight was going so I put at my place imitation..." Candice started explaining.  
"...terrifying us all terribly..." Tremor added, making all of them smile.  
"...and waited for right moment." The ice dragoness finished her sentence.  
"Are Stella and Infernus still fighting?" Tremor asked.  
"Well, from some point I stopped hearing Infernus and Atroz though earlier they had been quite loud." Ember said after moment of hesitation. "I have no idea what about Stella."  
"So, we'll find them and then go to Spyro?" Flame suggested.  
"Yeah, that would be the best." Ember agreed. Four dragons straightened wings and jumped in air, leaving the battlefield behind. None of them even turned around.  
"Tremor?"The fire guardian poked his shoulder. The earth dragon turned and gave him asking sight. "If I ever say that I want to fight magician, why don't you just punch me in the face?" Tremor laughed silently, like dragonesses, who heard that request.  
"No problem." He replied. "But if you change mind, don't forget that there's still Ivory." Tremor reminded him. The fire breather laughed nervously. Though he hadn't seen her in battle, he heard about her fight against wyverns after Flush's death. The very last thing he would want at that moment was fighting her.


	55. The end

Chapter 55. "The end"

Years earlier...

"Run!" A loud scream echoed through the forest, reaching five years old wyverness. Though she was shaking in fear, she continued flying between trees. Her small wings were beating quickly, as she wanted to escape from that cursed place the fastest she could. She panicked, as she heard sudden scream of pain and made sudden turn to fall at some tree. Youngster groaned painfully, when she fell on the ground. She held her arm, it hurt terribly. She started crying slowly and didn't move from that place, exhausted with escape and fear. She didn't want to run. No more. She was fed up with it. With time, she slowly closed eyes and fell asleep, though it was the middle of day.  
After several hours, there started rain, which woke her up. She stood up quickly and started making hut, just as she had seen other wyverns doing. She gathered quickly stuff for it and tried to base it on three biggest of them, but working in rain with only one arm, the second one still hurt, and complete lack of experience gave pathetic effect. She, already completely wet, hid in bunch of leaves and branches under a tree. Unfortunately for her, it didn't give her any cover against water dripping at her incessantly all the night.  
As she woke up next day, she was in terrible state. She had horrible headache, which she realized and high fever, which she couldn't know. She couldn't breathe by nose and she was coughing hardly all the time. In that state she could barely walk, not speaking of hunting. Young wyverness resumed her travel, persuading herself, that it's just cold, but with every hour, her state was getting worse and worse. At evening, she felt smell of fire. And more importantly, meat. This smell gave her strength to run quite long distance to discover its source. She hid in some bush and watched carefully from behind it. There was green dragon. Sitting with his back to her, he was roasting deer. The wyverness coughed silently and hid instantly, as dragon turned head at brakes, which behind she was. Now, she could see his face. He was young, though he hadn't more than twenty years , but three scars at his eyes were giving him very adult appearance. The earth dragon turned his head back to bonfire as he felt creeps across his body. There was blowing really cold wind. The young wyverness was waiting patiently for opportunity to steal some of meat. Dragons didn't sympathize with wyverns after what they did in time of Great War, even if some of tribes, like her, were allied with dragons. She couldn't expect any help from him, rather oppositely, he would beat her painfully or even kill, if she showed up, that's what she had been told not once or twice. The wyverness had to be very careful. The dragon stood up from bonfire and walked away for a while. That was opportunity, which she was waiting for. The wyverness sneaked to fire quickly and tore off some of meat. She turned around and was about to disappear, when she coughed suddenly. The dragon had to hear her. She could feel his sight at her back, so young wyverness started running back to the forest. The last thing she saw was rising right in front of her face pillar of stone.

The wyverness blinked several times, as she woke up. It was still night. She was lying at her back, covered with blanket. She had no idea, where it was from. She turned her head to see bonfire and smiling dragon.  
"You woke up." Surprisingly, he was very warm-hearted to her. "My apologize for that earth pillar, but I wanted to just stop you, not knock out for whole day." The wyverness turned her head surprised.  
"Was I sleeping whole day?" She asked, surprised. The dragon nodded. Then, he put before her meat. He could have thrown it to her in scornful gesture. But je put it gently.  
"Here you are. You must be starving." Indeed, she was. The wyverness started eating it hastily, scattering pieces of meat all around her, as if she was scared, it would be taken from her any moment. As she finished eating, she tried to stand up, but dragon stopped her and gave her small potion.  
"What's that?" She asked, glaring at yellow liquid.  
"Medicine for influenza." She glared at him surprised, unsure, what he meant. She did learn dragon language, but she wasn't very good at that yet. "You know, what is flu?" The dragon asked, but she shook her head slowly. He started searching for right word in his mind. "Gripe."He said a word from wyvern's language with specific, dragon's accent. The wyverness glared at him surprised. "Sabe ellas, qué es eso?" The dragon said using her own language. She nodded in reply, she knew, what that illness was.  
"Usted." She corrected him right after that. "Ellas means they, usted means you. Do you know my language?" She asked with curiosity.  
"Basics. It's really useful, while traveling across those lands." The dragon replied, confused a little, that so small wyverness corrected him. "Will you drink it?" He asked, pointing bottle. She bobbed with her head and drank whole potion. "So, where's your family? There's surely someone looking after you."The dragon understood his mistake, as in her eyes appeared tears and she started crying silently. "Shh, you're safe now." He cuddled her gently and glared at her with pity. He understood, what had happened.  
"They're dead..." She whispered. "They're all dead..." The dragon wiped out her tears.  
"I'm sorry." He tried to cheer her up, but tears kept falling. She was crying for about hour, until she fell asleep.

The next evening, the dragon decided that right time had come already. As wyverness woke up for a dinner, he sat close next to her. "You have no way to return. I found way to make your life much easier." He started. Youngster glared at him suspiciously, not sure, what should she expect.  
"What is it?" She asked.  
"I'll give you the new beginning as dragoness." The earth dragon told her. Youngster turned her head surprised, expecting it to be joke. "I'm serious." He said, seeing her uncertainty.  
"Really?" She asked. The dragon nodded. "How will you do it?" She immediately believed.  
"I'm an alchemist, really good one. With special elixirs, I can turn you into dragoness and give power to control one of elements. Thanks to that, you'll practically become a dragon." The alchemist explained. The wyverness was completely dumbstruck. Alchemy? In legends it sounded much funnier. "So, are you in?" He asked with warm smile. She nodded quickly, her heart was hammering. She always dreamt to be dragoness and now, her dream could be filled.  
"So, when do we start?" She was excited like never before.  
"Soon. At first, you must be completely healthy. Week, maybe two and we're starting." He said, surprised by her ardor to do so. Not many wyverns would do it voluntarily. "You know, I can give you any element and color of skin you want, so you better start thinking what appearance you'd like to have."  
"I want to be like Cynder." The wyverness answered without even a moment of hesitation, even though she didn't understand word "appearance". The dragon watched her surprised, but smiled after moment.  
"Black scales, green eyes and power of wind. So be it." He agreed. "So how about I change your name too? It will be much easier to forget about what happened." He suggested. The wyverness nodded slightly. Why not? "Can I choose it?"  
"Well...yeah." She wasn't sure about that at first, but his pleasing sight persuaded her.  
"You were sneaking so silently and you're so small... How about Vixen?" The wyverness nodded, pleased.  
"Vixen… I like it. And what's your name?" She asked. The dragon realized that he hadn't even introduced himself.  
"I am Douten. But, since I'm going to raise you, you can call me father. If you wish so of course." He laid on the ground. "We should go sleeping now." He closed eyes. "Goodnight, Vixen."  
"Goodnight." She laid down, covered herself with wing. "Dad." She added after several seconds.  
"Dad?" Vixen called him, just a moment later.  
"What is it?" Douten asked.  
"Will you stay with me for always?" She asked.  
"Yes. I will never leave you." He promised. Young wyverness smiled, content, and fell asleep. Douten smiled to himself ironically. So that youngster was going to become commander of his followers and the greatest ally. His little… Cynder.

"Spyro will die." Vixen said with sad voice. Cynder, standing right in front of her, watched her surprised.  
"What are you talking about?" Older of them jerked her head, expecting answer.  
"He wants to lure Spyro at the close distance and there pierce him with earth pillar."  
"How do you know that?"  
"He was training this movement for whole days. And besides, he's my father, I know him. He will kill Spyro." Vixen explained. Cynder turned her head at her mate. As she understood that Vixen was right, she started running to Spyro. She still could make it, protect him… Then, she felt youngster grasping her shoulder and bouncing from her. Vixen pushed away the purple dragon and jumped between him and her father. A little too late… No. Just in time. She felt pressure of thin earth pillar against her chest. Primero didn't stop his blow, it was too late. Cynder stood aghast. She didn't understand what had just happened, in surprise she didn't hear a thing, just glared at Vixen. The small dragoness smiled, hiding terrible pain, from corner of her lip dripped blood. He had pierced her lung.  
"Just as expected from you, isn't it, my Cynder?" Douten whispered, watching his daughter with disbelief. He was angry at both Vixen for this betrayal and Cynder who he blamed for it. In his voice, there could be heard gentle, sorrowful hint. It was trembling.  
"Douten..." Vixen whispered. The earth dragon's eyes grew wide, as he turned his head at her. Since ever, she called him 'dad'. She would never say 'Primero' and especially not... "Douten." She repeated herself. "I am not just a tool... that you can easily get rid of, when it becomes... useless..." She said with great effort, watching deeply and yet coldly into his eyes. In her eyes, there appeared tears. Douten's eyes grew wide, as he recognized that sentence. Those were Spyro's words, which he admitted with, right after Vixen's leaving. She had eavesdropped that. She had eavesdropped whole their conversation. He realized that from the very beginning of that fight she was just playing his ally. In the key moment, she meant to help not him, but Spyro and Cynder. Douten screamed madly. The purple dragon rolled away just in time not to get spiked with earth pillars. The earth dragon caught Vixen's throat and, breaking earth pillar piercing her, brought her to a wall of stone, which he created in this same moment. He was mad. He started choking her, when Spyro jumped to him. The purple dragon blocked his attacks with tail and paw, earth bullet countered with ice spike.  
"Let her go." Spyro said slowly and firmly, as they were forcing.  
"You did it. You turned her against me." The earth dragon whispered, still grasping little dragoness. It looked like he wanted to crush her throat. He could kill her in that very moment. But he didn't. His paw was shaking gently, something glowed in Douten's eye, but Spyro couldn't believe it was a tear.  
"Now you speak, as if you actually loved her." Spyro noticed with disbelief and scorn.  
"Silence! " Douten screamed. Then, Cynder attacked from the other side. The earth dragon threw youngster to black dragoness and jumped away from Spyro's stream of fire. The black dragoness caught Vixen, momentum pushed her back. She glared at the youngster. Though she had small hole in chest, she still was smiling slightly. What a pitiful sight… Cynder laid her on the ground gently.  
"I was supposed to do that." Cynder said with blaming voice. "Not you."  
"No, it was my duty towards Spyro. Even, if I've been always jealous about you." Vixen coughed with blood. She squeaked painfully. Small tear of pain flown down her eyes and fell on the ground.  
"What are you talking about?" Cynder watched her surprised.  
"You see... I saw Spyro and you dancing in Warfang twelve years ago. And then I...fell in love with him. I wished I could be you. You're so mighty, so graceful, so beautiful and so lucky to be with Spyro... That's why I asked Primero to give me body and powers similar to yours." She coughed again. "I've been always envy to you, Cynder."  
"Still, I should have done that." Cynder argued. Youngster just grinned, showing her teeth.  
"No. I always wanted to replace you. But... At the moment... you decided to save Spyro with the price of your own life... I understood it. You're too...precious for him. For Spyro... You... you have to live. I don't." Vixen turned her head to watch her father. In her eye appeared simple tear. Then, she started singing silently. Her voice was shaky, unsure, sorrowful. The tears were flowing down her eyes.  
"You said that you would stay,  
That you'd never leave.  
I gave you all I had,  
When I chose to believe..." The black dragoness coughed with blood, interrupting song.  
"Don't overtire yourself." Cynder stopped her. "We'll take you with us, Ivory will heal you and..."  
"Who are you trying to lie?" Vixen interrupted her. She felt that she was dying. "Me or yourself?"  
"You will not die." Cynder said firmly.  
"I'm sorry." Vixen closed her eyes, her breath started slowing down. She lost the will to live, as if that blow from father not only wounded her body, but broke her heart as well. Cynder wanted to shout at her not to close her eyes and yet she realized it was useless. She wouldn't listen, only laugh in her face. Though she didn't know Vixen at all, in her eye appeared tear, as she glared at that young dragoness, who she owned life.  
"You will not die. Have some faith in us. Just hold on a little more and we'll get you out from here." Cynder whispered with begging voice, which trailed off at the end when she realized that she was lying herself. Vixen was still alive, but Cynder knew that she hadn't much time. She stood up and screamed madly at Douten. She had to kill him quickly in order to save Vixen. Meanwhile, the earth dragon jumped away from volley of Spyro's ice spikes. Primero landed on the ground and smiled seeing her anger.  
"Is she dead?" The earth dragon asked with no emotion, or maybe where those being hidden so well? Cynder didn't reply, she vanished in darkness to appear right behind Douten. She slashed with tailblade, but Douten shielded his back with clubbed tail's ending. Then, the black dragoness released fearful scream. Douten quickly jumped back. Though Douten had earlier drunk elixirs, which were supposed to neutralize Cynder's fear, he underestimated her power. Because of her shriek, he could barely move for first seconds. He saw Spyro's lightning flying only several centimeters before his face and he rolled away avoiding purple dragon's talons. Spyro shot stream of fire to the alchemist who shielded himself with wall of earth. Douten noticed Cynder who was already in the air, releasing Convexity. He knew he had no time to dodge it, he could only block. And against void energy, his earth was useless. Primero disappeared in pole of purple light. But after several seconds, from Convexity, there appeared some blue light. Douten was still staying, with his paw raised. From it, there was glowing azure energy, shining also in his eyes. It was surrounding his body and shielding him from stream of void energy.  
"Is that..." Spyro watched alchemist's shield with disbelief.  
"Magic?" Cynder finished her mate's sentence.  
"Exactly." Douten grinned ominously. "I keep saying that I deserved guardian's title more than Tremor or Gaia, but I've never proved that, have I?" He asked rhetorically. "I have the gift. I'm able to use magic, pure energy of this world. It's this same skill as Espejo's but hundreds times stronger, since his was given by elixirs and mine, I inherited. Did you know that it's absolute reverse of void energy, Convexity?"  
"They neutralize each other without any side effects?" Spyro guessed basing on what he had just seen.  
"Exactly." Douten agreed. "I, as only several dragons in whole world, am able to control magic at such level that I can use it in battle. And still, even if I'm dozen times stronger from both Tremor and Gaia, elders chose them to be candidates for guardians. Them, poor orphans with no family, who I gave helping paw when they needed it at the most! They betrayed me. Elders... They exalted two orphans above son of Saner, the greatest hero of this city!"  
"Even, if you were stronger than Tremor and Gaia..." Spyro started, already upsetting the alchemist. "Candidates for guardians aren't chosen by just blood ties and strength. There's something more."  
"Good heart." Cynder finished her mate's sentence. "Elders understood that your heart was covered in darkness, desire of revenge." The black dragoness explained.  
"All I want is justice! You, Cynder! You and Tremor stole from me everything I had!" Primero shouted. "That's why I'll steal all you have from you! I'll start with your families, finish taking your own life!" He made offensive stance, ready to attack.  
"Is that, what you call justice?" Cynder asked.  
"Yes!" Primero confirmed, absolutely convinced about his words.  
"That's why you couldn't become guardian." The black dragoness said.  
"Silence!" Douten jumped to her and slashed with his paws, Cynder blocked both blows. "Done can't be undone! You have your sign of the past and so do I!" The black dragoness released wind pushing Primero. Spyro shot to him several ice spikes, but Douten jumped above them. "And this sign of the past..." He placed his paw in his heart, as he watched the black dragoness with pure hatred. " It tells me that you shall die! That I shall kill you!" The alchemist dove to Cynder and they stood face to face once more.  
"You still can stop. It's not too late." The black dragoness noticed. "If we stop right now, no one in here will die." She offered. Primero just snorted scornfully.  
"It was already far too late in the moment when you killed my parents." Douten replied. He noticed Spyro on his side who was about to attack by surprise. The alchemist jumped back quickly. His eyes started glowing with blue light, azure energy covered his paw. He straightened his arm releasing a beam of magic to Cynder. The black dragoness countered it with Convexity. Meanwhile, Spyro ran next to streams of energy. When he was about to reach Primero, the alchemist stopped using magic and stepped aside, so stream of Convexity appeared between him and the purple dragon. Cynder stopped Convexity and then Spyro jumped to Primero. Alchemist deftly pushed the purple dragon behind himself using purple dragon's momentum. Then, he noticed Cynder right next to him. She slashed with talons, but Douten leaned back, so she managed to only scratch him, leaving him deep wound several centimeters from his scar at eye. The alchemist released magic from his paw shooting Cynder in her chest and throwing her several meters farther. He smiled with satisfaction, as the black dragoness rolled on the ground and groaned painfully. Then, he felt heat before him and jumped back, just in time to avoid flames, which burnt floor before him. Douten raised his sight to see Spyro flying in the air, already about to use fire again. Douten started flying to Spyro and shot at him small, azure bullet of pure magical energy. The purple dragon instinctively realized that he couldn't block it, so he flew at the side. He released stream of fire. The alchemist hadn't problem with avoiding it, but when it was right next to him, he felt blow of wind and it rapidly changed its direction, surrounding Vengantimo. Douten flew away from it quickly, already covered in small burns, when Cynder attacked again. She was flying to him, when Primero suddenly dove and swung his clubbed tail aiming at his head. The black dragoness stopped in the air, avoiding his blow and shot to him green poison, but her enemy shielded himself with magic. When he landed on the ground, Cynder appeared behind him using shadows. Douten started creating earth pillars beneath her, so she quickly jumped back in the air. At this same moment, Spyro attacked with Convexity. The alchemist countered it with his magic. Cynder dove to her enemy. Vengantimo knew that she was coming. He closed his eyes for a while to focus and when she was just about to get him, he created around himself hemisphere of magic, which rapidly expanded throwing both Spyro and Cynder away. Douten flew away and the purple dragon stood next to her mate.  
"Are you alright?" He asked with worries.  
"It could be worse." Cynder slowly stood up. She still was bemused a little by Douten's poison, but her organism had already almost completely neutralized its effects. "Do you have any plan?" She asked.  
"No." Spyro replied shortly. He wanted to say something more, when Douten shot to them an earth bullet. The purple dragon shot ice spike crushing it, he and his mate jumped in the air. Cynder released Convexity to Primero, but he countered her attack with stream of magic from his mouth. Then, Spyro released to him stream of fire. Primero dove beneath it avoiding both flames and void energy. His paws glowed with azure energy as he focused. A second later he sent to both his enemies bullets of magic. Cynder and Spyro avoided them and dove to Primero, who landed on the ground. When purple dragon was about to get him, he created just before him a wall of magic. Spyro tried to slow down, but he fell on it. Meanwhile, the alchemist swung his tail blocking Cynder's slash of talons. He turned to her and from close distance released stream of magic, which Cynder, just in time, stopped with Convexity. Douten's paw touched ground, right under black dragoness's chest, there started appearing the earth pillar. Cynder stepped away avoiding it just in time, but then, alchemist shot in her chest powerful bullet of pure magic, sending her about ten meters farther. The black dragoness fell on the ground and didn't move. And that same moment, Spyro made his way through magical shield using Convexity. He released void energy aiming at Primero, but the earth dragon blocked it just in time. Streams of azure and purple energy started forcing. Before Spyro, there appeared pillar of earth, but the purple dragon blocked it with earth just in time.  
"Not again." He said.  
"Can't you just let Cynder die?" Douten asked. "If she dies, I'll disappear, no more dragons will die because of Venganza. Don't you think, it's better to choose the lesser of two evils? You sentence your friends to death by protecting her."  
"Even if something happened to them..." Spyro started.  
"Even if?" Douten interrupted with note of disbelief. "Do you really believe that Icey won't manage to kill any of guardians using his Helarse? Or did you see the real power of Sable Del Relampago? I know that they can't win, but still, you underestimate Venganza, fool."  
"I know my friends. I know that they'll win. And I will not let Cynder die." Spyro said firmly.  
"Oh, I forgot. You're in love." Douten said, as if he was speaking to himself. "That explains naivety." Then, both dragons heard silent noise next to them, as if somebody was walking up. Spyro smirked, as he understood, what was about to happen. Primero understood it just a second later, in moment when scream of fear reached him. He lost his concentration, stream of Convexity pushed forward to him. It stopped only several centimeters before Douten's face, he pushed it away with powerful blast of magic. Meanwhile, next to Spyro, there appeared Cynder. At her chest, there was big round mark after blow of magic. It was covered in blood, which was soaking slowly from her chest at the floor. The black dragoness released Convexity to Primero. Douten cursed silently. He barely managed to counter both of them. He put paw to his bag, searching the elixir, which he needed in that very moment. He found it. Douten took bottle with characteristic, narrow bottleneck. It was filled with transparent liquid. Holding elixir, Primero slashed vein of his second arm, so blood started soaking from it. Then, he quickly opened it and pressed it to the wound. He felt power growing inside him, as liquid started circulating in his veins. Immediately, his magical powers were multiplied. Stream of blue energy started slowly enclosing to Spyro and Cynder. Douten grinned. When it was already in halfway between two dragons, it still was pushing forward.  
"Spyro..." Cynder whispered with worries, seeing that they could lose ay second.  
"Just hang on." The purple dragon said confidently. "We won't lose to him." Douten laughed silently.  
"You've already lost, fools. This elixir multiplies my magical power, so I'll release whole my magic in short time. It will last just for several minutes, but it will be just enough." As if to confirm his words, stream of magical energy was already just a meter from Spyro and Cynder's faces. Closer and closer with every second. Very unpleasant situation to both Convexity users, already glancing at each other to jump away from it in this same moment. And then, the magic just disappeared, no more of it was being released from Douten's mouth. Primero was so dumbstruck that he didn't avoid stream of void energy enclosing to him. He tried to jump in the air, but he did it too late, so great beam of Convexity hit his chest and threw him to the ground about ten meters farther.  
"You lost, Primero." Spyro said, as he watched wound at his chest. It was so big that there were no doubts that it was deadly.  
"I lost, huh?" Douten asked himself with disbelief. He placed his paw on the ground. "Well, I think I'm taking you with me." Then, earth started shaking. Cynder watched fearfully the roof above her, which started shaking and cracking, small stones started falling on the ground.  
"Not again." Cynder whispered, not believing that it was really happening.  
"There must be a way..." Spyro started looking for any opening above him. Killing Douten wasn't a way; he had only initiated the collapsing.  
"There is none..." Douten whispered. "This cave is created in such way that it will fall killing everyone inside. And since you've wasted so much of Convexity, you can't break your way through." He grinned devilishly. "It's over."  
"Not yet." Spyro ran to Vixen and took her at his back, his mate stood at his side.  
"I thought we wouldn't repeat that." Cynder said with disappointment, knowing what was going to happen next. "Another three years lost..." Spyro just smiled slightly.  
"As if I would allow you to do that!" Douten shouted. "Fall!" Spyro cursed silently, as above him, there appeared great crack. Whole cave was about to fall at their heads. Though he was just about to freeze them all, he knew he wouldn't make it in time.  
And then, earth stopped shaking. Spyro and Cynder watched above them with surprise, as only several little pebbles fell at them. They looked at each other, completely dumbstruck, the black dragoness just shrugged. Then, one of cracks, right next to them, started glowing with red light. All dragons watched it carefully. Glowing spot grown, creating circle a little higher than Spyro. Then, there was explosion, several big stones were thrown right above Spyro and Cynder. In opening in the stone wall, there were staying two fire breathers: Flame and Ember.  
"You better hurry up!" The fire guardian shouted to his friends. "Tremor won't keep this cave from collapsing for eternity!" Both Spyro and Cynder smiled with relief and ran to fire breathers. Douten hissed angrily, as he head earth guardian's name. His eyes grew wide with disbelief.  
"Tremor!" He shouted. "I curse you! I curse you!" He screamed madly. He was so close and yet… Then, Vixen opened her eyes weakly and she watched her foster father laying on the ground. Down her cheek, there flown a tear. If they took him they could heal him. His wounds were serious, but not lethal, right? Right?!  
"Spyro… Take... Take him..." She whispered imploringly with weak, silent voice and lost consciousness in that very moment. But no one heard her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. "Spyro, take him!" She shouted in her mind. "He's a dragon just like you, you've… It's your duty!" But no other dragon turned at Douten, not even Flame who used to know him for so many years. They walked to the exit in dead silence. Then, Ember noticed, who Spyro carried.  
"Is that Vixen?" The pink dragoness asked. "Did you do that to her?"  
"No, Primero did." Spyro replied tersely.  
"She saved Spyro's life, that's why he did it." Cynder explained, seeing surprised faces. Then, four dragons left the cave. There was waiting everyone: all kids, Candice, Tremor, Stella, Infernus, Ivory, Angelo, Genesis, even Ray and Lyrian and several dragons, guards who he didn't recognize. Spyro and Cynder stood still just as they left cave and watched them with disbelief. He didn't expect them all to be there. The purple dragon smiled slightly seeing Tremor. He and the other earth dragon, a guard whose name he didn't know, were barely standing, exhausted with stopping great cave from collapsing. Once they saw all their friends safe, they let it fall, creating great cloud of dust around them, but Cynder blown it away. Tremor leaned against his mate and earth dragon laid on the ground.  
"Ember, Ivory!" Spyro called the medics. "Can you heal Vixen?" Two dragonesses took Vixen and gently put her on the ground. They both started healing her immediately.  
"I don't know, she had lost lots of blood." Ember said. Indeed, if not the heavy rain, the black dragoness would be laying in puddle of her blood already.  
"I can't promise anything." Ivory agreed, seeing how serious her wounds were. Then, Sparx flew to Spyro.  
"Hey, bro! You're alive!"  
"As you see." Spyro replied, grinning.  
"Mom, dad!" Zealous ran to her parents and hugged them lovingly. They enjoyed the moment. It felt so… impossible. Cynder caught sight of rocks from collapsed cave. So much of death happened that day. But she had some blissful feeling that her sign of the past was buried in there, together with Douten, so it would never return. She achieved this, what she had been missing for last months. She finally felt free from any worries and apprehensions. She knew that they all went through the great storm and sun already started peeking out of the clouds. She was really happy for it to come. She knew that it was the end of this all. At last.


	56. Epilogue: All that remains

Epilogue. "All that remains"

"So, the only thing, which we haven't decided about yet, are his elixirs." Ardora said to all the elders sitting next to her in elders' building. From the final battle of guardians and Venganza passed two weeks. Most of that time four elders spent settling the formalities, which had to be done after Douten's death.  
"Ray, what is your opinion about Douten's alchemy?" The fire dragoness asked.  
"I read through notes from that old book, which Douten stole. It says that elemental elixirs can be used on dragons. But it expends body seriously. In thirty percent of tries, devastation is so serious that death of object is matter of short time that is several, maximum twenty years. Risk increases twice, if added element is second one. So if any of us was wondering about creating army of purple dragons..." Ray's conclusion was obvious for all elders.  
"The risk is too high." Blizzard finished. "And the choice is obvious."  
"Yes." Itara agreed. "Elixirs have to be destroyed. Anyone has any objections?" She asked only to fill formalities. "So, it's decided. I'll go to Douten's house with several fire breathers and burn them. The book will be sealed. I will hide it in the place where no one will find it." Itara decided. She looked out the window. It was already sunrise, they had spent in there whole night.  
"I will help you doing that." Ray declared.  
"So, that's it, we're done for today."Ardora said and sighed with relief. She was exhausted after so many sleepless nights. "You're dismissed. And don't come here tomorrow, we deserved for one day free." She said, obviously putting them in much better mood.  
"Ray?" Ardora called lightning dragon, as in room left only they two. Ray turned to her. At that moment he would yawn, but he closed his mouth to avoid rudeness. His cheeks puffed up because of wave of air from lungs and Ardora laughed silently, watching, how ridiculous that looked. "Yawn, Ray, you worked the hardest of all of us. I wouldn't be able to remain conscious after four days without sleep." The lightning dragon opened jaws in relief and yawned deeply. He looked like he was to fall at ground and fall asleep instantly. He seriously considered it.  
"Something's on your mind, Ardora?" He wondered, his voice was far away from being wide-awake.  
"Do you know, where is Tris?" She asked. Ray watched her surprised. It looked like the youngster had been avoiding her warden for all that time. And if that was so, he had only one solution.  
"Almost two weeks ago, I buried my friend. You have no idea, how much effort it took to me, Lyrian, Viola, Flame and Tremor to take his body from those ruins." Ardora couldn't believe that Ray still treated Douten as friend, but the lightning dragon ignored her surprised sight. "And because of you, I was very close having second funeral. The Tris's one. I'm not surprised that she hates you, she has a reason. If she doesn't want to see you, I won't lift a finger to help you find her."  
"Ray, please. I need to know." Ardora gave him desperate sight.  
"No. When she wants to see you, she'll come. And now, have some patience."  
"Please. You have no idea, how important it is for me." She asked him again. "There's something, I must tell her." Ray sighed deeply. He hated to choose between two friends. And now Ardora placed him in such situation, he really regretted it was too late to back away.  
"No, Ardora." He replied shortly, turned around and left, leaving dumbstruck elder behind.

"Angelo, sorry for that it happened this way." Tremor apologized. He and two vice-captains were standing at the city walls. Both twins had already bided goodbye to all the guardians and Tremor was the one to accompany them. Hearing the earth guardian, the lightning dragon only smiled and shrugged.  
"It happens." He raised his left arm and watched it. He had had his paw amputated just two weeks earlier, he knew that it would take him long to get used to it. "It's my fault, isn't it? If I had kept the hatchlings in home, it wouldn't have happened." He noticed.  
"I feel guilty anyway. I involved you in this all." Tremor said.  
"If you tried to do it against our will, we'd refuse to help you at the very beginning." Genesis said.  
"Besides, that's nothing serious." Angelo belittled the situation."You know, if it was wing, then it would be different matter, but left paw? I've heard that at Dragon Shores, there lives a dragon who does strong, metallic prostheses. I'll get myself one. Can you imagine how will this look like?"  
"Angelo…" Genesis tried to interrupt his brother.  
"You know, beautifully gold, ornamented…" The lightning dragon continued anyway.  
"Angelo…"  
"Very solid, I can only imagine this pain when I hit someone with it and…"  
"Heaty won't be pleased with metallic prosthesis." The fire breather decided to use Angelo's mate against him. "She hates metallic things, don't you remember?" He noticed. As Angelo heard this name, he fell silent and watched his left arm carefully.  
"I'll convince her." He said after a moment of silence. "Anyway, I'm glad that I could help you, Tremor. We've finally paid our debt back and just a paw is very low price for that."  
"If you say so." Tremor smiled slightly.  
"Well, it's time for us already. Goodbye, Tremor." Genesis said with his emotionless, cold voice, definitely not fitting the fire breather.  
"Yeah, goodbye, Tremor!" Angelo bided him cheerfully, perfectly contrasting with his twin brother. I know that you will be busy with whole this Warfang stuff, but pay us a visit sometimes, will you?"  
"No problem. So, see you." The earth dragon bided farewell to them. Then, both twins jumped into the air. They flew for already several seconds when Angelo turned around and called the earth guardian.  
"Tremor, remember that if you need help, I can always offer you a helpful paw!" The vice-captain said half-jokingly.  
"You can keep at least this one for yourself." Tremor shouted back and two dragons chuckled. Genesis just shook his head with disbelief and muttered something about childishness of his brother's behavior. Two twins were flying to their home. And despite both of them were beaten seriously; Genesis by Douten and Angelo by wyverns, both of them shared one feeling- pride.  
Tremor walked down the city walls. He was heading outside the city when Flame appeared next to him. He was limping a little, his shoulder still hurt after Espejo's blow.  
"There you are." The fire guardian smiled to him.  
"Hi Flame. You're going to Ray and others." The earth dragon guessed.  
"It's the high time. They must be waiting." Flame confirmed. He hissed angrily as he stood on left arm. Tremor smiled slightly.  
"Espejo kicked your tail pretty well, didn't he?" He noticed grinning maliciously. "You should train more, you know, I've dealt with Brute without any problems, even without Gaia's help I could kill him and you needed Ember."  
"Really?" Flame watched his friend's burnt paw skeptically. "Oppositely to you, I didn't fight Sexto for the third time, already knowing all his tricks, but Secunda having no idea of his powers or fighting style." He riposted.  
"Yes, yes." Tremor agreed with such a voice as if he was talking to infant. "But you know, only if you want me to teach something, give me a sign." He suggested. Flame glared at Tremor with annoyance.  
"I'll pass on it." He said coldly and his friend chuckled.

Vixen opened slowly her eyes and watched around. Above her was high roof, around her beds with another dragons on them, most of them were sleeping. It was very early, as she guessed. She was in a hospital. Vixen glared at her chest. It was all over covered in bandages, place, where she got pierced by Douten still hurt terribly. She turned head and saw plate with several apples at bedside table next to her. After so long time with no food, the dragoness was starving. She straightened her arm trying to get an apple, but she was too far from it. She leaned maximally, but it was still too far. She sighed with annoyance. She heard rumble in her stomach. Vixen tried to lean again and this time she caught apple, but lost balance. The black dragoness fell on the ground knocking over bedside table, which fell at her making great noise finished with sound of breaking plate. Apples rolled across the floor. Several dragons woke up and looked around with curiosity or annoyance. Then, into the room went red dragoness. She stood before Vixen and sighed deeply, as she put black dragoness back to her bed.  
"Just like kid." She gave her one of apples and started collecting parts of broken plate. "You should have told me, if you wanted something to eat." The red dragoness said with blaming voice.  
"Sorry." Vixen apologized. She was sure, she had already seen that dragoness. She was about to ask, when red dragoness explained that.  
"Thanks for saving me there, from Vengantimos. My name's Tris." The fire breather said.  
"I'm Vixen." The black dragoness introduced herself. "What's my state?"  
"Surprisingly good."Tris smiled. "When guardians brought you here two weeks ago, medics said that you would die in maximum a week. But thanks for several medics such as Ivory, Ember and, speaking not really modestly, me, you're fine. You were very lucky, you know? This pillar of earth avoided all the vital points by inches; spine, heart…" Tris sighed deeply. "I wouldn't be able to deliver such a blow if I tried. Anyway, you're fine so if you want, you can leave the hospital tomorrow."  
"That's good." Vixen was about to ask about to ask about something, when she noticed that next to her were laying two white roses. "Who brought them?" She asked curiously.  
"Spyro and Cynder." Tris explained. Then she heard noise of opening door. She jerked her head to see newcomers. "Speaking of whose, here they are." Vixen watched Spyro, Cynder and Ember, who entered the room.  
"Is she awake?" Spyro asked, just as he saw Tris.  
"I am!" Vixen waved to them.  
"Tris, your mother is looking for you. She has just entered hospital." Ember warned the young dragoness.  
"Thanks." Tris walked to window. "I'll be in park, lie her that I went somewhere else." Right after those words, she jumped through the window and started flying. Ember walked to one of beds and Spyro and Cynder stood before Vixen.  
"When did you wake up?" Spyro asked.  
"Just a moment ago." The black dragoness said. "How did you know that I love white roses?" She watched two dragons curiously.  
"Sable mentioned that." Cynder explained.  
"So he's alright?" Vixen asked with joy.  
"He's safe and sound." Spyro confirmed.  
"And how are guardians doing?" The black dragoness asked.  
"We're all alive, Tremor wounded his paw seriously, but he'll heal it with time. Angelo had his paws amputated and Flame, Genesis and Infernus took some nasty wounds as well, but they're all fine. There's no need to worry about any of them." Cynder said.  
"That's good. So, how much time do I have to leave the city?" Vixen asked sadly. Though she helped them in the key moment, she didn't hope that she'd be reprieved. "Or will be there any trial of mine?"  
"What are you talking about?" Spyro asked with disbelief. "You don't have to leave the city. It was decided that you and Sable will be treated as normal dragons, so you can stay wherever you want. You did the right thing in the end, we can't punish you for that."  
"That's... nice." Vixen didn't know how to react. She didn't expect such a situation. "Thank you."  
"All the pleasure is ours." Cynder said, smiling. "So, what do you plan to do now?" She asked curiously.  
"No idea, actually. I didn't even expect that I'd wake up again." Vixen shrugged. Then, she noticed a red youngster, the one who Ember was looking after. She could swear that she had already seen him. "Who is he?" She asked.  
"Torch, my son." Ember replied. "He'll leave hospital today."  
"What happened? Did Veganza do that?" Vixen asked concerned.  
"That's..." Spyro wanted to explain, but he burst out with silent laugh.  
"It wasn't Venganza." Ember pacified the black dragoness. "He made some bet and lost it. He had to go through the dodging room in Warfang, but kids discovered that there was other one here."  
"What is the dodging room?" Vixen asked curiously.  
"It's place, where dragons who finished academy train their flying skills." Cynder interjected.  
"Exactly. And Torch, barely flying hatchling flew there and got knocked out with first blow." Ember said.  
"Who let him into the dodging room?" The black dragoness watched medic suspiciously.  
"No one. They sneaked inside. He's very lucky that it's nothing serious." The pink dragoness explained.  
"Didn't Tremor mention that he has been in similar situation once?" Spyro noticed. This time, Ember laughed silently.  
"Yes, I remember that Flame told me that. It was right after you defeated Malefor. Ray called Tremor coward, because he didn't want to try racing through dodging room with black bands at their eyes. And Tremor... You know him. He accepted challenge."  
"I already guess how it ended up." Vixen said to herself.  
"It's not so hard to guess, is it?" Ember smiled. "They both woke up week later, with cracked sculls and concussion. From that time both of them have unjustified antipathy to dodging rooms." All four dragons laughed silently.  
"I think, it's time for us." Cynder noticed. "Guardians are already waiting for us."  
"Indeed." Spyro agreed. "Vixen, we'll be in the city for a day or two more. Will you pay us a visit, once you leave?" He asked.  
"Of course, I will."  
"See you later." Spyro bidden her goodbye and so did Cynder and Ember before they left.

A young fire breather stood at the hill several kilometers from the eastern city. He narrowed his eyes, as sudden wind blown right into his face. Some dust crushed against his face, but he shook his head gently and ignored it. He watched the eastern city carefully. From this distance, it looked so small. It seemed strange for so many dragons to live in one place. As for him, living in forests, dragon villages counting one, sometimes two hundreds inhabitants were great agglomerations and this city... He felt as if he would simply disappear in such a crowd in several seconds.  
"Zheek? Shouldn't we go already?" The lightning dragoness standing behind him, suggested.  
"I wonder how is it like to live in the city." The fire breather confessed.  
"Don't tell me that you consider giving up on our freedom." His older sister noticed, watching him suspiciously. She would never live in any city. It was like gilded cage, not a place for her, the free soul.  
"No, I don't, Farady. Don't worry about this." Zheek assured her. "I just wonder what do these dragons see in being bound to one place." He explained himself.  
"I wonder for myself." The lightning dragoness agreed. She stood next to her brother and straightened her beautiful gold wings.  
"Well, we have good, southern winds today. We can fly to the north pretty fast. The only question is what are we waiting for?" Farady noticed with note of impatience.  
"We're not returning here, are we?" Zheek asked.  
"I doubt that. A city is not a place for the free dragon." His sister confirmed. "We've already spent far too long time in Teria when Flush saved us and our parents were..." She interrupted in half of sentence.  
"Yeah." Zheek agreed sadly.  
"So, shall we go? There are things that need to be done." The lightning dragoness suggested.  
"Yes. We'll fly to Teria to see Flush and our parents' graves for the last time. And then, to the north."  
"To the lands of Celeste Tribu." Farady finished her brother's statement. Several seconds later two dragons spread their wings and took to the sky.

Ivory knocked at door and opened it, not waiting for respond. Inside, she saw Candice.  
"Hi, Candice." The medic greeted her.  
"Hi. Aren't you in the hospital anymore?" The ice guardian watched her suspiciously. After the final battle of Venganza and dragons, Ivory started working in city hospital, helping young medics by magic and advice.  
"Well, I think I'm useless there already."  
"Useless? What do you mean?" Candice jerked her head curiously.  
"It's just…" Ivory hesitated for several seconds. "I better just show it." Then, she took deep breath and started focusing, like always, when she was going to release big amount of magic. Candice watched her carefully. Then, Ivory opened her jaws, as if she was using her battle magic, aiming exactly at the guardian. The ice guardian involuntarily closed her eyes expecting blow, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes slowly after a moment and watched her, completely dumbstruck.  
"What was that? I was sure, you'd use magic." Candice asked.  
"I tried, but I can't." Ivory said joyfully. Then, she tried to use her magic again, this time aiming at Candice too, but again, she did nothing.  
"Could you stop doing that?" The ice guardian pleased. "It's… disturbing."  
"Oh, come on, let me enjoy the moment." Ivory tried again and this time, she succeeded. Her eyes glowed weakly with magical light, as Ivory's shockwave threw Candice at opposite wall. Quite strongly, to be honest. Candice fell on the ground. The medic ran to her friend, completely aghast. The ice guardian started standing up slowly. "Are you alright?" Ivory asked with worries.  
"Yes, I think so." Candice replied with note of annoyance. Her back hurt terribly. "But you better don't do that anymore."  
"I won't." Ivory hung her head shamefully.  
"So, why are you so happy that you almost…" Candice emphasized the last word. "…can't use your magic?"  
"You see, it means that dragonet inside me is absorbing whole my magic, which means that my child will be most likely very talented in using the magic." She explained.  
"Did you lose your powers permanently?" Candice asked.  
"No, I lost them just until the end of my pregnancy. It has happened to many magicians before. And it's very small price for such a gift." Ivory smiled blissfully. Her child already was the dragon, who she loved and cared about at the most. Even, if she hadn't even seen him. Or her.  
"What is that?" Ivory pointed small sheet of paper lying at the floor, it fell down from one of shelves, when Candice hit a wall. It was already covered in thick layer of dust, most likely no one touched it for several weeks.  
"This is letter, I think." Candice took it and watched it curiously. She blew out dust to read, who was sender. "It's from… Flush."  
"Flush?" Ivory asked with disbelief. "Can you read it?"  
"Mhm." Candice opened letter and started reading it. It was Flush's letter, which about he mentioned, when Candice and Tremor came to Teria. It was invitation for Candice, where he mentioned also about her parents' returning. Candice kept reading it, when she stopped.  
"Something's wrong?" Ivory asked.  
"He struck through Post Scriptum, I can't read it." Candice glared at it carefully, but she couldn't recognize letters.  
"Can I?" Ivory asked. The ice guardian handled her letter. Ivory took it and started watching its other side.  
"What are you doing?"  
"Pen leaves marks at other side of paper, so it will be easier to read it here." She explained. "So, I start reading it. P.S. Lastly, Ivory have been behaving so coquettishly." Ivory blushed just as she acknowledged, what she had just read. Candice laughed silently. The white dragoness continued. "You know, I think I even like that. She's so cute, when she's blushing…" Ivory's cheeks were already purely crimson. "I think that both I and Ivory are in lo..." Ivory interrupted reading. "That's all he wrote."  
"You know, what that means?" Candice asked, trying not to laugh aloud.  
"That he can embarrass me by just sheet of paper?" Ivory guessed silently, fighting with blood flowing to her cheeks.  
"Exactly."Candice agreed. She grinned. She simply couldn't help it, Ivory's embarrassment was too amusing to her.  
"Can I keep this letter?" Ivory pleased.  
"Of course, you do." Candice agreed. The white dragoness watched her thankfully. Then, she started reading the letter again. Even, if it was just sheet of paper, reading it, especially its ending, she felt somehow better. Not so alone.

Stella and Infernus were sitting at the coast of lake. Between them, there was sitting their song. They were sitting like that for quite long, when they heard someone moving in bushes. All three turned their heads and watched source of noise curiously. There appeared Sable. Stella watched him carefully. He was somehow different. Her first thought was that he already started his mutation into dragon. It took her a moment to notice that he simply didn't take his swords with himself.  
"Good afternoon, everyone." He bowed in his characteristic gesture with right paw on the heart.  
"Good afternoon, Sable." Stella greeted him. "Sit down." She suggested. The wyvern sat down next to her.  
"We meet again Sable, though the last time, we didn't talk for long." Infernus watched the newcomer curiously. "You're quite perplexing person, you know? No one knows what to do about you." He noticed. Sable laughed silently.  
"Well, I can't refuse that. Two weeks ago we were deadly enemies and now? I believe "allies" is right word, isn't it?" He asked.  
"Yes, it is, we could maybe even say friends." Infernus agreed smiling. "After all, we both owe you our life." He noticed.  
"You exaggerate." Sable refused. "I helped a little, but..."  
"A little?" Stella interrupted him with disbelief. "At first, you spared my life and then, gave me antidote for Infernus."  
"Fine, fine." He agreed reluctantly. "But I owe you a lot as well. If not you, I'd never know that I can become dragon." Then, he smiled silently. "Sable, the lightning dragon." He said to himself. "I'll have to get used to that."  
"Are you complaining about that?" Stella noticed with surprise.  
"No, of course, not." He refused quickly. "It's just so... strange. I lived with dream of becoming dragon since I met Viola. It was so long time that I stopped believing it could fill and now... It's so unbelievable." He explained.  
"Mr. Sable?" Zap called former Cuarto, who watched him curiously. "Mom said that you can release lightning from your paws."  
"I can." Sable agreed. "What do you want to ask about?"  
"Can you show me that?" He said with pleasing voice. Sable smiled.  
"Why not?" The wyvern straightened arm, so his paw was right before Zap's face. "Relampago." He whispered so his performance would look even more strikingly. His paw started glowing with electricity, small bolts were dancing at across his fingers creating intoxicating spectacle. "Enough." Sable decided after about fifteen seconds. Lightning disappeared in several seconds, leaving only characteristic smell of ozone.  
"How is that possible?" Zap asked curiously.  
"Side effect of mutation. The truth is that lightning from my paws is even stronger than the one from my jaws, which is terribly weak." He explained. "And moreover, element, even from my paws, not strengthened by special catalyst such as my blades is... Well... Pathetic. That's one of reasons why I use them."  
"So, what are your plans now, Sable? Has anything changed?" Stella asked curiously.  
"No. All my stuff and elixirs are waiting in the camp, already packed. Finding those elixirs was easier than I thought, honestly. All that remains, is taking Viola."  
"So, next time we meet, you will be a dragon." Stella noticed.  
"That is the plan. And what is yours?" The wyvern asked curiously.  
"We'll be inhabiting Warfang. It will take quite long, so I doubt if we'll leave it in next several months." Stella said with note of sadness.  
"Oh, poor Stella." Sable said with hint of pity. "Sitting in your house, doing paperwork for whole days and nights and yearningly looking out the window, knowing that somewhere far away, there lives completely free Sable." The wyvern noticed."Doubling up with pain of mutation, but still, completely free." He added after several seconds and grinned.  
"You know, when you're speaking of it like that, there appears in my mind some tempting idea. To just fly forward and leave this all behind." Stella said half-jokingly.  
"Maybe I better leave, or in this rate, we'll lose the lightning guardian." The wyvern replied with a joke as well. Then, he stood up. "Well, I think it's really time for me. I guess that Viola is already waiting." He bowed characteristically.  
"Goodbye, Sable." Infernus waved him.  
"Goodbye." Stella and Zap said at this same moment.  
"Goodbye and thank you, everyone." Sable smiled slightly. "Let's hope, we'll meet soon again." Then, he jumped in the air and started flying to the city. To place, where she was waiting for him. Viola.

Five dragons: Flame, Tremor, Viola, Ray and Lyrian were sitting side by side at the cemetery. They were watching grave made from dark grey, almost purely black marble. Here and there were thin white stripes and shiny dots of minerals. No one wanted to interrupt the silence, no one knew what to say.  
"Where are those old good times?" Ray whispered. All dragons watched him. "Twelve years ago... We all were here, good friends, who'd never separate..." The lightning dragon said with hint of nostalgia. "And now, Gaia died while protecting our home, Douten betrayed dragons, Flame and Tremor became guardians, Viola's leaving any moment. This all is messed up."  
"Don't complain, Ray." Flame pleased. "Every of us goes his own way, but still, we're friends. Nothing changed, we just have more duties and kilometers between us."  
"I'm all the time at your side, sweetie." Lyrian whispered and kissed her mate's cheek.  
"You know, I have overwhelming feeling that we could stop Douten from creating Venganza." Tremor said silently. In bottom of his heart, he felt guilty for all that happened.  
"Yeah, I feel this same." Flame agreed.  
"Actually, neither of you is to be blamed." Viola noticed. "It was beyond you. But I..."  
"We." Lyrian interrupted her.  
"No. I." Viola refused firmly. "I could stop him. Two weeks before your final fight, Douten told me that he worked with Venganza to kill you Tremor and Cynder." She spoke directly to the earth guardian. "He wanted to kill me, but Sable stopped him. But after that, I had whole two weeks to stop him. And I did nothing, just because he blackmailed me. I even lied to make sure that you would trust him. I'm sorry. I failed." Viola hung her head shamefully.  
"No, it was neither your, nor anyone's fault, but Douten's." Ray refused. "It was the way he chose. We couldn't do anything about it."  
"But..." Viola tried to refuse.  
"Even you, though he loved you. It was far beyond any of us, he made that decision years ago." Ray interrupted her.  
"I know it may be strange a little..." Flame started and all dragons turned at him. "But though Douten tried to kill us, I still can't stop thinking of him as friend."  
"Me too." Tremor said. "Terrible asshole, but still..." He sighed deeply. How could he have been this blind to miss Douten's betrayal?  
"True." Ray agreed, several seconds later Viola and Lyrian agreed as well.  
"So, when are you leaving our little city?" The lightning dragon wondered.  
"As you said, Ray, any moment. All I'm waiting for is Sable." Viola said.  
"We'll leave today or tomorrow." Tremor explained. "Most likely, we'll be in Warfang."  
"So, how about a race to elders' building?" Ray suggested.  
"Ray..." Lyrian sighed with annoyance. "Aren't a little too matured for that?"  
"You took those words right out of my mouth." Flame said to her.  
"Oh, come on, just like old times!" Tremor watched the fire guardian with pleasing sight.  
"Start!" Viola shouted. She, Tremor and Ray started racing immediately. Flame and Lyrian watched each other and sighed deeply.  
"Just like kids." The ice dragoness stated.  
"Tell me about it. You know Tremor. But I really hoped that Viola or Ray would be more matured." Flame noticed.  
"Ray?" The ice dragoness laughed silently. "No, not at all. So, aren't you racing?" Lyrian asked, a little surprised.  
"No, one childish guardian is just enough." The fire breather said. Lyrian smiled slightly.  
"True, true..." Then, she rapidly jumped in the air, as she was planning to join race. Flame read through her plan. He caught her tail, brought her to the ground and started flying. "Hey!" The ice dragoness shouted, astonished. Flame just laughed loudly.  
"Catch me, if you can!"

All guardians and their hatchlings met fifteen minutes later outside Cynder and Spyro's house, like they often used to do. The gathering without kids were often inside, but thirteen dragons were a little too much as for just one room.  
"We have two months before inhabiting Warfang will start. At least two months." Ember told others the news which heard from elders of the eastern city. Stella sighed with relief hearing that.  
"So, we have holiday, don't we?" The lightning guardian was really sold on this idea. "How about we disappear somewhere?" She suggested, but Candice watched her with surprised sight.  
"Disappear? Don't forget that we're guardians, we have our duties." The ice guardian watched Stella skeptically.  
"Oh, come on, Candy, world won't end just because we're gone for two months." Tremor disagreed with his mate, before anyone else said a thing.  
"For me, Tremor's right. I wouldn't complain, if we had some holiday." Infernus admitted with earth guardian. All that he achieved was getting Flame and Candice's annoying sight.  
"Hey, not so rush." Flame said. "Candice is right, as guardians, we have duties. We can't leave just like that."  
"We haven't been to Warfang for about two months already, Flame, and other two won't change a thing." Cynder said. It looked like she really liked an idea of holiday. "We'll tell elders of the city and guards in Warfang where will we be, so if there appears any danger they will send for us. Is that fine?" The black dragoness suggested.  
"Yeah, I think so." Candice agreed. Flame also did this same after a bit longer hesitation.  
"Where are we going, then?" Spyro asked. "We have to decide now to inform everyone."  
"How about Certona?"Infernus suggested. "We haven't been there for years." All guardians agreed with nods and silent words. No one had anything against that idea.  
"So, we're going to Certona." Cynder said, smiling slightly. It was really lovely place and she'd love to spend there whole two months. "When are we leaving?" She asked.  
"Tomorrow." Tremor said. "It may be our last holiday very for long time, so we should take as much from it, as we can." All guardians agreed with him. Their moods were really good. Everything was over now and after their war with Venganza it was finally time for the sweet rest.

It was already night, when young black dragoness sneaked through the city wall. She planned to disappear in darkness of forest with no word of farewell to anyone. But then, she heard someone's breath behind her. It was low, anyone was that, he had been waiting for her. And she guessed without a problem, who that was.  
"There you are, Vixen." Sable, staying about ten meters behind her, said. "I've been worrying that you've died." The black dragoness turned around.  
"I can say this same about you." She replied. They both smiled. With time, little by little their faces turned to be sad. They both knew, what on each other's mind was.  
"You're leaving." The former Vengantimo didn't ask, but stated a fact.  
"Sable, don't make this any harder for me." Vixen pleased.  
"Sorry, I guess, I already did." The wyvern noticed, shrugging. Between them fell awkward silence. "Why?" He asked curiously.  
"Because I have to." Vixen said after several seconds of hesitation.  
"Why do you have to?" Sable asked again.  
"Because... everyone who I talked with today told me that I've done right thing. But... Was it proper? Douten... Dad..." The black dragoness started stumbling, fighting her tears. "He was my father and I've betrayed him! It was so… unfair! This thing he told Spyro about me... How can I even know it's truth? I was so mad at first, so lost, when I heard that." Tears started falling down her cheeks. "But later, when I stood between him and Spyro, when he pierced my chest, I could see this glow in his eye. It was a tear… I think. I hope. I don't know." She hung her head and watched her paws shamefully. "He wounded me, but only because he couldn't stop the blow and still, he managed to lead it in such a way, that avoided all the vital points, right? If I were just a tool, he wouldn't bother himself about it and it meant to kill Spyro… That was the moment when I started doubting. Maybe he just lied, provoked Spyro not to show that I was his weakness? Dad... He had loved me before this all. For all these years, I could feel his love beside me. Could it be just an illusion? Could feeling this right ever be a lie? He was a good person. Wounded by past, his mind twisted by vengeance, but... in his heart, he was good." A tear flown down her cheek an fell on the ground. "Sable… He wasn't evil, just… suffering. There still was goodness in him, only hidden so deeply. I know it. I know." Sable lowered his eyes sadly, he didn't say a word. There were no words that he could say to help her. "But I don't know who I am anymore. After Dou... dad's... death, my hierarchy of values... it lies in ruins. I don't know, what to do, where to go." She hung her head sadly. "All I know is that I can't remain with dragons, not so close to Spyro or Cynder."  
"You can go with me and Viola." Vixen suggested.  
"No, I have to go, I need to clear my mind. Besides, I don't want to stand between you and her. I know I would only interrupt you. Sorry, but I have to leave. You have Viola. This city and dragons are your place, your life. Not mine. And don't you dare following me. For once, you deserve for happy life."  
"And don't you?" Sable asked. Vixen didn't know what to said, so she just smiled sorrowfully.  
"If that was that simple... Sable, it will be better, if I just disappear."  
"Better for whom? Surely not for me." He couldn't let her go. He couldn't lose someone so precious for him. Not again. "And I doubt if..."  
"For me." Vixen whispered, finishing his sentence. She turned from him. "Farewell, Sable. Don't worry about me." She jumped in the shadow of night disappearing from his view in several seconds. Sable couldn't have seen simple tear flowing down from her cheek.  
"Farewell, Vixen." Sable whispered. He didn't follow her. He wished to do so, later regretted stopping himself, but he didn't follow her. He didn't even try to stop her. He just wiped out tear flowing slowly from his eye.

Seven months later

"Wow, it's great." Yellow, bipedal dragon entered the dragon city; Warfang. At his back, there were two straight katanas, at each of them, there were placed two gold gems, round chrysoberyls. His scales were clearly yellow and wings, which used to be green, were pale yellow now. His eyes hadn't this same color as just a year earlier, gold irises were covered in web of long and thin red marks, signs after unprofessionally executed mutation of eyes, which almost had cost him his sight. In effect, those were more orange than yellow. His white horns kept their previous color. In his arms, he was holding two just hatched youngsters. One of them yellow and second pale blue. Next to him, there was walking his mate, the azure ice dragoness, who was looking around the city. She was watching her beloved with fascination, perfectly knowing that she would never ever let him go. No more.  
"Have you ever been here, Sable?" Viola asked.  
"Once or twice. But I don't remember this city well. And you?"  
"Several times."His mate replied. "But I've never seen it so crowded. Though elders an guardians were hurrying with an inhabitation, I thought, it would take them longer." Sable nodded.  
"This same here. Now, do you have any idea, where guardians are?"  
"Yeah, I think so." She hoped, she remembered way from last visit, but her memory wasn't that good as she expected. In effect, they spent half an hour wandering in city. And finally, when they found right building, they've been stopped by guard.  
"Can I help you?" The earth dragon asked.  
"Can we have audience? There's important matter we need to talk about with them." Sable said.  
"Yes, perfect timing. How should I present you?"  
"Viola, the ice dragoness."The ice dragoness told him.  
"And what about you?" The guard turned at Sable.  
"I would like to remain anonymous, as long as I can. Just don't mention about me." In reality, he just wanted to see faces of guardians, when they'd recognize him. The guard just shrugged hearing that. It wasn't often, not to be introduced, but he didn't argue with them. The earth dragon opened door to room of guardians and said something so silently that Viola and Sable couldn't hear. Guard heard quick and short reply and left room, but kept door opened.  
"Please come in." He said, opening door widely. Viola went there as first one, right behind her was Sable. They saw four guardians sitting before them and four much older dragons at their sides, who were helping and advising them in the matters of the city, until guardians wouldn't get enough of experience.  
"Good to see you Viola." Stella smiled seeing Viola. Then she opened jaws in surprise, as she recognized the lightning dragon. "Sable?" She asked, aghast. Sable grinned. He watched all the guardians carefully. His sight stopped at Candice for a second; the killer of his friend, Icey. But he didn't hold a grudge against her. He understood.  
"Well, who else looks like that, if not me?" Sable noticed. All guardians watched him surprised, as they couldn't believe that it actually was this same person, who used to be their deadly enemy.  
"You've changed." Flame said after several seconds of silence.  
"Well, my mutation is completed, so I wanted to meet you, guardians." 'Guardians', not 'dragon guardians', as he would say at their last meeting. Though it was small difference, all four of them noticed that.  
"Are those your children?" Stella asked.  
"Yes." Viola answered and nuzzled them, proud of two hatchlings.  
"And what are their names?" Tremor asked.  
"Her name is Arriate." Sable said, pointing yellow lightning dragoness. "And his name is Ñeque." This time he showed pale blue ice dragon.  
"How cute." Stella said. "Those are names from wyvern language, aren't they?"  
"Mhm, it was my idea." Viola joined conversation. "Sable said several words in wyvern's language and we chose the two, which sounded the best for us."  
"And what do that names mean?" Tremor asked. He was sure that they hadn't simply chosen two random words.  
"Ñeque means courage and strength." Viola nuzzled her son with cheek.  
"And Arriate is verge, border, as her birth is border between two stages of my life." Sable finished his mate's sentence.  
"Good names." Stella admitted. "So, what brought you here? Are you going to remain in Warfang?" She asked.  
"Yes, we came to ask you for permission to do so. And house, of course. It may appear to be useful after all." Sable noticed smiling slightly.  
"There is no problem about it, I think." Candice said and glared at guardians, obviously, no one refused. "Viola, I thought you would prefer to live in your home city." She noticed. The ice dragoness hung her head sadly.  
"Well, my father doesn't hurry with forgiving me for my love. He most likely would never see me again." She didn't have to add that she had lost chance to become the ice elder in future, it was the obvious part for everyone. "But I shouldn't sadden you with those happenings. We came here, because we have no home and..."  
"That's not a problem at all, there are still a lot of free buildings in city." Stella said. "How about we finish meeting quickly and I'll show you still free homes, huh?" The lightning guardian suggested. She'd love to spend some time with them.  
"Not so fast, there's still quite a lot of job to do today, Stella." Much older lightning dragoness called Tifa, who was sitting right next to Stella, said. "I'll show it them and you continue without me. Is that alright?" She turned with last sentence at Sable and Viola, who nodded.  
"So, we'll be going now." Viola said and bowed slightly, as Sable did this same. "Thank you for everything."  
"That's nothing, Viola." Tremor said. "If you need anything else, just ask." They replied with smiles and turned around, ready to leave.  
"Sable?" Stella called lightning dragon. He stopped and turned around. "You promised, we'll finish our fight. I hope, you keep your word." He nodded.  
"No worries, I do. Just tell me when." He bowed once more and followed his mate and the lightning dragoness, who had already left. All the guardians watched leaving dragons in silence.  
"Who could predict that he would actually become dragon?" Candice asked and none of guardians could help smiling.  
"No one. But I'm glad he finally found his own peace of mind." Stella said, as she watched Cuarto Ven... No, the lightning dragon.

It was already evening, when Sable and Viola moved in to their new house. They chose small and cozy one with two rooms for their kids, as they'd grow up and one for them. Dragons put all things they had and Tifa promised them, that tomorrow they'll get all the stuff, they needed: towels, dishes et cetera. Sable put all his things in his and Viola's room and hung katanas at a wall next to their bed. He didn't plan to use those soon. He placed his book about the medicine at small shelf above the bed. When all things were placed and hatchlings were sleeping, he sat at a balcony and started watching the city, already covered in the darkness. He widened maximally pupils of eyes to have better sight in night. Since mutation, it still hurt, but training his eyes was giving results. He didn't lose his really good, wyvern's sight in the darkness.  
"Since our first meeting have already passed five years." Sable heard a female voice and jerked his head to see the azure dragoness right behind him, smiling lovingly. "Back then, seeing mutant wyvern saving my life, I would never guess, it would end up like that." Viola sat at his side and nuzzled him. Sable smiled with pleasure and cuddled her.  
"Like that?" He asked after several seconds.  
"Disinherited by own father, sitting in my new house in Warfang, cuddling my mate and listening to noises of my two sweet kids sleeping. The brand new life." She added last sentence with smile. She saw that Sable is oddly silent. "Does anything bother you?" She asked.  
"It's nothing, I'm just tired." He bluffed, but Viola easily noticed that.  
"So, maybe we should go to bed?" She suggested. Anything was on his mind, with her on his side, he would quickly forget about that.  
"Go, I'll be there in just a moment." He pleased. His mate nodded and stood up. While she was leaving, her tail slipped across his body affectionately. Sable smiled slightly, feeling her warm scales against his neck and chest.  
"Don't make me wait too long." He heard, as the dragoness left balcony. The lightning dragon leaned against the wall and sighed deeply. He achieved everything he had been dreaming about, he should be happy now. But there was one thing that he couldn't forget about. He watched carefully the dark trees far away from city and rested in silence for several minutes. Sable heard impatient calling of his mate and smiled slightly.  
"I'm coming, sweetheart!" He assured, smiling slightly. He stood up and was about to go to his beloved. Then, once more, he turned to catch a sight of never-ending forests far, far away, as if he hoped that he would find what he looked for.  
"Where are you, Vixen?" He whispered.

The end.


End file.
